SMART Modular Technologies Introduces New Family of CXL Add-in Cards for Memory Expansion in High Performance Servers

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SMART Modular Technologies introduces a new family of CXL Add-in Cards for memory expansion in high-performance servers. The CXL Add-in Cards enable Data Center, Cloud Services, and HPC Providers to easily expand memory capacity for memory-intensive compute applications.

Tech Expert

SMART Modular Technologies' introduction of a new family of CXL Add-in Cards is a noteworthy development, particularly for sectors like AI, HPC and ML that are memory-intensive. By leveraging the Compute Express Link (CXL) protocol, which offers a high-speed interconnect between the CPU and workload-optimized devices such as memory, these AICs are addressing the demand for greater memory bandwidth and capacity. Their adoption can lead to more efficient utilization of server resources, potentially reducing the number of servers needed and therefore the total cost of ownership for data centers. This can translate into more competitive pricing for cloud services and could serve as a tailwind for SGH's market position if the technology is widely accepted and integrated by server manufacturers and data centers.

Market Research Analyst

From a market perspective, the forecasted rapid growth in the CXL memory component market and attach rates reaching 30% in the server market by 2026 indicates a significant opportunity for SMART Modular Technologies. The move to integrate CXL and support DDR5 DIMMs reflects an alignment with industry trends towards memory disaggregation, which could enhance operational efficiencies for cloud services and HPC providers. Considering the expected initial production shipments in late 2024 and the projection that the market will surpass the $2 billion mark by 2026, the strategic timing of this product release places SMART at the forefront of a potentially lucrative market segment. Investors should monitor the integration of these AICs within data centers and cloud services, as early adoption and positive performance reviews could bolster SMART's reputation as an innovator, positively influencing its stock value.

Financial Analyst

For investors, the capital expenditure implications for data centers and cloud service providers who are looking to adopt these new CXL Add-in Cards must be assessed. The investment in new memory technology could be offset by the long-term savings in operational costs and the ability to serve more complex computing tasks without a proportional increase in physical infrastructure. Additionally, SMART's positioning in a growing market segment and being one of the first to adopt CXL protocol in high-density DIMM Add-in Cards may provide them with a competitive advantage, potentially influencing their market share and revenue growth positively. When looking at SGH's financials, investors should consider R&D expenditures, the cost of production and marketing for these new products and the potential revenue growth from the adoption of these AICs.

SMART’s CXL Add-in Cards enable Data Center, Cloud Services, and HPC Providers to Easily and Cost-Effectively Expand Memory Capacity for Memory Intensive Compute Applications

NEWARK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- SMART Modular Technologies, Inc. (“SMART”), a division of SGH (Nasdaq: SGH) and a global leader in memory solutions, solid-state drives, and advanced memory, announces its new family of Add-In Cards (AICs) which implements the Compute Express Link (CXL^®) standard and also supports industry standard DDR5 DIMMs. These are the first in their class, high-density DIMM AICs to adopt the CXL protocol. The SMART 4-DIMM and 8-DIMM products enable server and data center architects to add up to 4TB of memory in a familiar, easy-to-deploy form factor.

SMART Modular’s new high-density DIMM Add-in Cards (AICs) are the first in their class to adopt the Compute Express Link/CXL protocol, enabling server and data center architects to add up to 4TB of memory in an easy-to-deploy form factor, available in 8-DIMM and 4-DIMM configurations. (Photo: Business Wire)

“The market for CXL memory components for data center applications is expected to grow rapidly. Initial production shipments are expected in late 2024 and will surpass the $2 billion mark by 2026. Ultimately, CXL attach rates in the server market will reach 30% including both expansion and pooling use cases,” stated Mike Howard, vice president of DRAM and memory markets at TechInsights, an intelligence source to semiconductor innovation and related markets.

“The CXL protocol is an important step toward achieving industry standard memory disaggregation and sharing which will significantly improve the way memory is deployed in the coming years,” said Andy Mills, senior director of advanced product development at SMART Modular, reinforcing Howard’s market analysis and SMART’s rationale for developing this family of CXL-related products.

SMART’s 4-DIMM and 8-DIMM AICs are built using advanced CXL controllers which eliminate memory bandwidth bottlenecks and capacity constraints for compute-intensive workloads encountered in Artificial Intelligence (AI), high performance computing (HPC), and Machine Learning (ML). These emerging applications require larger amounts of high-speed memory that exceed what current servers can accommodate. Attempts to add more memory via the traditional DIMM-based parallel bus interface is becoming problematic due to pin limitations on CPUs, so the industry is turning to CXL-based solutions which are more pin efficient.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

About SMART’s 4-DIMM and 8-DIMM DDR5 AICs

• Available in type 3 PCIe Gen5 Full Height, Half Length (FHHL) PCIe form factor.
• The 4-DIMM AIC (CXA-4F1W) accommodates four DDR5 RDIMMs with a maximum of 2TB of memory capacity when using 512GB RDIMMs, and the 8-DIMM AIC (CXA-8F2W) accommodates eight DDR5 RDIMMs with a maximum of 4TB of memory capacity.
• The 4-DIMM AIC uses a single CXL controller implementing one x16 CXL port while the 8-DIMM AIC uses two CXL controllers to implement two x8 ports, both resulting in a total bandwidth of 64GB/s.
• The CXL controllers support “Reliability, Availability, and Serviceability” (RAS) features, and advanced analytics.
• Both offer enhanced security features with in-band or side band (SMBus) monitoring capability.
• To accelerate memory processing, these add-in cards are compatible with SMART’s Zefr^™ ZDIMMs^™.

CXL also enables lower cost scaling of memory capacity. Using Smart’s AICs enables servers to reach up to 1TB of memory per CPU with cost effective 64GB RDIMMs. They also offer an opportunity for supply chain optionality. Replacing high density RDIMMs with a greater number of lower density modules can enable lower system memory costs depending on market conditions.

Visit SMART’s 4-DIMM product page and 8-DIMM AIC product page for further information, and the CMM/CXL family page for information on SMART’s other products using the CXL standard. SMART will provide samples to OEMs upon request. These new CXL-based AIC products join SMART’s ZDIMM line of DRAM as ideal solutions for demanding memory design-in applications.

*The stylized “S” and “SMART” as well as “SMART Modular Technologies”, “Zefr” and “ZDIMM” are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of SMART Modular Technologies, Inc. “Compute Express Link (CXL)” and all other trademarks and registered trademarks are the properties of their respective owners.

About SMART Modular Technologies, Inc.

For more than 30 years, SMART Modular Technologies has been helping customers around the world enable high performance computing through the design, development and advanced packaging of specialty memory solutions. Our robust portfolio ranges from today’s leading edge technologies to standard and legacy DRAM and Flash storage products. We provide standard, ruggedized and custom memory and storage solutions that meet the needs of diverse applications in high-growth markets.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240423815199/en/

Product Marketing Contact

Arthur Sainio

SMART Modular Technologies

Director, DRAM Product Marketing

39870 Eureka Dr., Newark, CA 94583

arthur.sainio@smartm.com

Media Contact

John Crook

SMART Modular Technologies

Marketing Communications

+1 (510) 474 8326

john.crook@smartm.com

Source: SMART Modular Technologies, Inc.

FAQ

What does SMART Modular Technologies introduce in the press release?

SMART Modular Technologies introduces a new family of CXL Add-in Cards for memory expansion in high-performance servers.

What is the significance of SMART's CXL Add-in Cards for Data Center, Cloud Services, and HPC Providers?

SMART's CXL Add-in Cards enable Data Center, Cloud Services, and HPC Providers to easily and cost-effectively expand memory capacity for memory-intensive compute applications.

What market growth is expected for CXL memory components for data center applications?

The market for CXL memory components for data center applications is expected to surpass the $2 billion mark by 2026.

What are the technical specifications of SMART's 4-DIMM and 8-DIMM AICs?

SMART's 4-DIMM and 8-DIMM AICs are built using advanced CXL controllers which eliminate memory bandwidth bottlenecks and capacity constraints for compute-intensive workloads.