Memory modules to save power
1 min read
In a move which it believes can bring a substantial reduction in energy consumption, Micron Technology has launched the Aspen Memory family, which includes the industry’s first low voltage DDR2 dram in reduced chip count (RCC) memory modules.
According to a recent study, enterprise data centre servers – such as those which power the internet or house financial institution customer data – consumed 123billion kWh worldwide in 2005, including the overhead for power delivery and cooling of the servers.
Based on this, Micron estimates the portion attributed to the memory to be 25bn kWh. By implementing its Aspen Memory modules, the company claims, data centres could reduce system memory power consumption by approximately 24%, or 6bn kWh.
“There is currently a push in the IT server industry to reduce the vast amount of power consumed by data centers. To truly be effective, the issue of power consumption should be examined from all technology levels in a data center server system – all the way down to the silicon level,” said Brian Shirley, vice president of Micron’s memory group. “Our new Aspen Memory modules provide customers with the lowest power memory solution available in the industry, with no loss in performance.”
Micron notes the DDR2 components currently used in servers typically operate at 1.8V. Through process technology and innovative circuit design, Micron has lowered DDR2 voltage to 1.5V. Additionally, by upgrading to 1Gbit based RCC modules, memory power consumption can be further reduced.
