DRAM to live on as DDR5 memory

Hardware experts believed the last DRAM would be the current DDR4, but that's not the case, with #DDR5 memory now under development. Specifications for DDR5 memory will be released this year, and deployment of the DRAM will begin in 2020, according to a slide deck presented at the Intel Developer Forum this week.

DDR5 DRAM will have many benefits: Users will be able to cram more memory into PCs, and applications will run faster. DDR5 memory will be denser than earlier DRAM, and also consume less power, which could extend battery life in laptops.

PCs will need faster and denser memory for applications like virtual reality, and DDR5 will help, said Mike Howard, director of DRAM and memory at research firm IHS.

Right now, VR applications are in their early days, but the bandwidth provided by DDR4 may ultimately not be enough, Howard said.

Servers will be the first hardware to get DDR5 DRAM, and it could reach desktops and laptops 12 to 18 months later.

The server market is the "low-hanging fruit," because many applications, like databases and analytics, are executed in memory, Howard said.

#HPE is doubling memory capacity in servers every year to help deal with information gathered through data sources like sensors and social media networks and then sent to data centers for analysis. DDR5 DRAM could help server makers meet the growing memory needs. #phasechangememory

http://www.computerworld.com/article/3109200/computer-hardware/dram-to-live-on-as-ddr5-memory.html