Goodbye, SO-DIMM: Memory overseer JEDEC will formally undertake the “CAMM Common Spec” as the following RAM module normal for laptops.

JEDEC, the reminiscence group that homologates RAM requirements, is within the means of hammering out the brand new spec to exchange the fundamental SO-DIMMs which were in use for 25 years, in keeping with JEDEC committee member, and Dell Senior Distinguished Engineer Tom Schnell.

Schnell truly created the original CAMM—or Compression Attached Memory Module—design for Dell final 12 months. JEDEC’s CAMM normal can be primarily based on that CAMM design however is more likely to be considerably completely different as firms hammer it out.

While the adoption of latest {hardware} requirements might be fraught, with hand-wringing, foot-dragging, and all of the friction of a negotiation amongst co-workers over the place to get lunch, JEDEC appears to have managed it pretty simply.

Dell

In reality, Schnell mentioned, the acceptance went over fairly properly with the 20 firms or so within the process group voting for it.

“We have unanimous approval of the 0.5 spec,” Schnell advised PCWorld. Schnell mentioned JEDEC is focusing on the second half of the 2023 to finalize the 1.0 spec, with CAMM-based programs out by subsequent 12 months.

Who are the businesses that voted for it? Schnell can’t say, as that’s as much as every member to disclose, however group covers the vary of suppliers, from SoC, to connectors, to OEMs, and all unanimously voted to undertake the CAMM Common Spec, with no dissenters. There are presently 332 firms listed in JEDEC, from Apple to ZTE, every concerned in numerous facets of reminiscence in numerous industries.

For those that haven’t adopted it, Dell launched its CAMM design in April 2022 with the goal of changing the a long time outdated SO-DIMM design that has been utilized in most gaming and workstation laptops thus far. CAMM’s most important enchantment is that it allows greater reminiscence density whereas additionally scaling to ever greater clock speeds.

Some of the motivation for expediency doubtless comes from the fast-approaching “brick wall” going through laptops when SO-DIMMs hit at DDR5/6400.

Schnell mentioned the CAMM spec is much from finalized, however the first JEDEC CAMM modules ought to take over proper the place SO-DIMM ends at 6400.

Dell

CAMM shouldn’t be proprietary

When Dell first launched CAMM, it was considerably misunderstood as a proprietary spec that will “lock customers” right into a design. Dell has mentioned that’s by no means been its intention and the quick approval appears to vindicate that. Schnell addressed that preliminary concern, with the adoption underway.

“Dell is a huge company, we don’t keep the lights on because we get royalties for a patent,” he mentioned. “We basically want to recover the cost of inventing it, and implementing it.”

Besides, going it alone is just not how the PC world works.

“We’re part of the PC industry and the PC industry is built out of an ecosystem of partners, suppliers all feeding in,” Schnell mentioned. “Yes, Dell does great innovation of our own in our systems, but we also integrate a lot of innovations from a lot of people.”

The way forward for CAMM

With CAMM being hammered out now, Schnell did lay out some attainable paths for CAMM because it replaces SO-DIMM. DDR6 is an apparent highway, he mentioned, however CAMM even allows the potential for LPDDR6 on a replaceable module. LPDDR, or low-power DDR RAM, has lengthy been most well-liked for smaller and thinner laptops in addition to telephones for energy financial savings. It’s additionally lengthy been applied solely as soldered-on.

Schnell foresees a model of CAMM enabling the efficiency and energy advantages of LPDDR, however in a replaceable and upgradeable module. With JEDEC adopting CAMM now, that future will get nearer.