AMD buys startup to transform SSDs into cheap 'virtual RAM' (www.techradar.com)

AMD has announced the acquisition of MEXT, an AI-focused startup that has developed innovative software allowing users to utilize NAND flash memory as if it were DRAM at the operating system level. This technology, known as Predictive Memory, optimizes memory usage by identifying frequently accessed data and keeping it in the faster DRAM, while less utilized data is offloaded to SSDs. This approach not only enhances performance but also addresses the rapidly rising costs and shrinking availability of DRAM, a critical consideration for modern data centers. This acquisition comes at a pivotal time as AMD aims to strengthen its foothold in the competitive data center market, where the demand for efficient memory solutions is intensifying. By integrating MEXT's expertise in AI-driven memory optimization, AMD hopes to offer cost-effective yet high-performance solutions tailored for hyperscalers, especially as the industry faces an impending crisis in SSD availability. Furthermore, this move signals AMD's commitment to enhancing its hardware's capabilities in memory infrastructure, bolstering both its immediate and future growth within the AI and data center sectors.