Dell is already selling the first notebooks with so-called Compression Attached Memory Modules (CAMMs) – other manufacturers are expected to switch to the memory standard from 2024. From then on, CAMMs are to become the official successor to the previous Small Outline Dual Inline Memory Modules (SO-DIMMs).
That Tom Schnell announced in an interview with PC World. As an engineer at Dell, he played a key role in developing the CAMMs and is also a committee member of the JEDEC group of companies, which specifies storage standards across the industry. According to Schnell, about 20 companies have unanimously chosen CAMMs as the new industry standard.
In the second half of 2023, JEDEC should finally specify the CAMM standard – Dell itself gives the version number 0.5 to the previous version. From 2024, new notebooks from various manufacturers will finally appear with the new module shape.
Screwed, not plugged
Unlike SO-DIMMs, CAMMs are not plugged in, but screwed horizontally onto a contact strip. They shorten and standardize the data paths, which improves the signal quality and thus allows higher clock frequencies. In addition, they should reduce the space requirement, especially in terms of height, and simplify notebook designs – for example with simpler mainboards or more space for cooling solutions.
(Image: Dell)
Previous CAMMs are connected to the processor via 128 data paths (dual-channel operation) and are available from Dell in the USA with capacities of up to 128 GB. So far, however, the company has been remunerated princely for the modules: The Prices range from $320 to $2500 for 16 to 128 GB DDR5 RAM. So far, the modules fit into the Precision 7770 and Precision 7670 workstation notebooks.
According to Schnell, CAMMs should also be suitable for particularly efficient LPDDR memory chips such as LPDDR6 in the future. These achieve higher clock frequencies with lower voltages than DDR-SDRAM, but have so far had to be soldered to mainboards to increase efficiency. CAMMs could therefore combine the best of both worlds: the high clock frequencies and efficiency values of LPDDR with the flexibility of swappable DDR modules. It remains to be seen whether manufacturers really want this.
(mma)
