U.S. memory chipmaker Micron Technology has unveiled a 512-gigabyte DDR5 DRAM module aimed at artificial intelligence and data center servers. The product doubles the capacity of existing next-generation server offerings while cutting power consumption by more than 60%. It applies the vertical stacking used in high-bandwidth memory for AI to a DRAM module. Competition in server memory is expanding beyond HBM into ultra-high-capacity server DRAM.
Micron said on the 15th that it demonstrated the 512GB DDR5 DRAM module on a next-generation server platform. Maximum data transfer speed is 9,200 MT/s, or 9.2 billion transfers per second. A server with all 24 memory slots filled can use up to 12 terabytes of DRAM. AMD and Intel are validating the product on their next-generation server platforms, and Micron is targeting mass production in the second half of 2027.
Capacity and power efficiency are at the core. The maximum capacity of existing next-generation DDR5 server modules was 256GB, and the new product doubles that. In AI inference and large-scale data analysis, greater memory capacity reduces the number of data exchanges with storage devices, improving processing efficiency.
Power consumption also fell sharply. According to Micron, the 512GB module operates at 16 watts, more than 60% lower than the 44.2 watts required to build the same capacity from four 128GB modules. That means data centers can cut both electricity use and cooling costs. In some data analysis workloads, performance was up to 40% higher than with a 256GB DDR5 configuration, the company said.
The new product uses stacking technology that layers multiple DRAM chips vertically and connects them with through-silicon vias. The technology is also used in HBM, but this product is DDR5, which serves as a server's main memory, unlike HBM, which sits next to a graphics processing unit to transfer data at high speed.
Samsung Electronics developed the industry's first 512GB DDR5 module using eight-layer TSV technology in 2021. The largest capacity in Samsung's officially released DDR5 server lineup is currently 256GB. SK hynix is also targeting the AI and data center market with 256GB-class DDR5 modules. After HBM, competition among the three memory makers is intensifying in ultra-high-capacity server DRAM as well.
