Hyper-Scalers Are Using CXL to Lower the Impact of DDR5 Supply Constraints (www.servethehome.com)

In response to soaring DDR5 prices exacerbated by immense demand from AI data centers, hyper-scalers are leveraging their substantial DDR4 reserves through innovative CXL (Compute Express Link) technology. Marvell's Structera X and A controllers provide effective memory expansion solutions, allowing hyper-scalers to recycle older DDR4 modules while significantly enhancing performance and capacity. The Structera X 2404, for example, can support up to 1.5TB of memory through twelve DDR4 DIMMs, effectively boosting capacity to around 2.75-3TB with LZ4 compression—reducing costs and environmental impact by minimizing new DRAM manufacturing. Additionally, Marvell's Structera A pairs 16 high-performance Arm Neoverse V2 cores with a DDR5 CXL controller. This combination not only offers increased bandwidth by utilizing PCIe over traditional DDR5 paths but also enables systems to benefit from various memory types. By making memory expansion more efficient and cost-effective, this advancement represents a significant step for the AI/ML community, optimizing resource utilization in an era marked by heightened demand and supply chain challenges.