Dell’s Next-Gen Memory Standard Is Now Officially Recognized By JEDEC As CAMM2
Dell’s Next-Gen Memory Standard Is Now Officially Recognized By JEDEC As CAMM2
Slotted memory may finally make its return: JEDEC, the standardization body overseeing the memory specifications has officially approved Dell’s innovative CAMM memory standard to supersede the existing SO-DIMM standard. As part of this process, a new name is given to the standard to make distinction between Dell’s original standard and the new upcoming standard: CAMM2. This standard was originally introduced through the Dell Precision 7670 laptop in 2022.
Here’s some context if you’re new: CAMM, or Compression Attached Memory Module, is a new memory module standard that aims to solve the impending ‘doom’ that will soon hit the SO-DIMM modules. The current standard will only provide a maximum clock speed of 6,400MT/s, nothing more – as the physical limits have been reached. CAMM solves this by making the memory packages and signals packed much tighter together, enabling higher memory speeds.
Another benefit of CAMM modules is that they’re significantly thinner, meaning they should be able to fit within the bounds of ultrathin laptops, on paper. Samsung has also developed a version specifically designed for such applications, called LPCAMM – which is so small that it’s almost the same size as your typical M.2 SSD, while packing the capacity that requires two SO-DIMM modules, which can take up a huge chunk of precious motherboard space.
Having the standard officially recognized by JEDEC is a huge deal: as the body consists of over 300 companies responsible for the design, production, and standardization of these memory modules. Thus, from this point on you may begin to see laptops featuring CAMM2 memory standard over SO-DIMM, or even soldered memory, which would be a huge win from a consumer’s perspective, while also being sustainable – as this meant laptops can now be upgraded down the line for longer lifespan.
It’s worth noting that CAMM2 has some fundamental differences from SO-DIMM in terms of how memory channels work. While every SO-DIMM module acts as a single channel, CAMM can act as a dual-channel memory most of the time, although sources have said that single-channel memory, likely intended for low-cost applications, is in the plans as well. As with any kind of memory transition process, expect CAMM2 modules and laptops to come at a premium at first – but it should settle down once the CAMM2 standard becomes common.
Source: Tom’s Hardware
Pokdepinion: Not going to lie, this is the stuff that’s more exciting than AI stuff right now. Maybe I’m just too much of a nerd.
