Samsung reveals buzzword-compliant DRAM ready for 5G, AI, edge, and metaverses

Samsung has revealed a new variety of DRAM, and probably won buzzword bingo for the year 2021 too. The Korean giant has declared its new LPDDR5X DRAM is suitable for 5G, AI, edge computing, AI on the network edge, the metaverse, “and even automobiles.” It also slices, dices, juliennes, and can fix a boat that’s been sawed in …

[Dwarf]

Compatibility

So it’s not compatible with Windows, Linux and cloud then ?

Seems like a bit of an oversight.

FFS marketing types it’s just RAM, give us the data sheet and we will decide what we integrate it with.

[da39a3ee5e6b4b0d3255bfef95601890afd80709]

How is RAM "compatible" with 5G

I sob when I hear marketing droids talk this nonsense. Too many vendors provide memory clock frequencies and CPU core counts then make some utterly stupid correlation to fitness for designing power stations or modelling a knitting pattern, or indeed using a network signalling standard. Stop it. It makes you look dumb.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: How is RAM "compatible" with 5G

That title is asking for a Dilbert script.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: How is RAM "compatible" with 5G

To be fair, I'd argue these chips with their 8.5Gbps bandwidth are barely compatible with 5G.

5G in the millimetre wave bands can theoretically support 4Gbps transfer rates, but that data has to come from somewhere and go somewhere on the other end.

I will freely admit I have absolutely no clue how cell towers work, but I'm guessing they contain some form of memory for temporary caching and/or buffering, and I assume they support more than two concurrent connections at a time.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: How is RAM "compatible" with 5G

"I will freely admit I have absolutely no clue how cell towers work"

Bats are involved, apparently.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: How is RAM "compatible" with 5G

Bats are involved, apparently.

I thought they were heavily unionised in the belfry industry.

[Denarius]

and the oblig comment

So possible to get big enough sticks of RAM for Win11 or 12 applications to run at same speed as Word in Win3.1 on a 486DX 66 in 4Mb?

[Doctor Syntax]

suitable for 5G, AI, edge computing, AI on the network edge, the metaverse, “and even automobiles.”

Are they telling me it's no good in a laptop?

[nintendoeats]

We sell a device, which I will call a potato in the interest of obscurity.

The previous version was referred to as a "smart potato", which made sense because it was a potato that could run Windows or Linux onboard.

The new version, which is essentially the same product with better specs, is a "Deep learning edge IoT device". Evidently the fact that it is a potato is no longer relevent.

[Sparkus]

lifetime r.w cycles?

system ram at that kind of density really needs to publish it's life-expectancy and median failure rates.

Could be cheap-as-chips but if it's only good for 18 months, then your shiny new $1000 device (or $2500 premium notebook) becomes a shiny new brick.

[DS999]

Re: lifetime r.w cycles?

This isn't NAND. DRAM's read/write cycles are unlimited. The chips themselves may not last forever but the amount of reading and writing has nothing to do with that.

[Kevin McMurtrie]

5G, AI, edge computing, edge AI, ...

That's not a convincing list of low power applications. 256 GB of low power DRAM in front of a multi-TB flash array might make a suitable low power edge cache that can be bolted on a 5G mast with passive cooling, assuming 5G edge-anything ever catches on.

[anonymous boring coward]

I'd like to swap out my 16KB extension module from my Z80 personal computer. Is it compatible with that?

[BrowserUk]

(unINtitled)

If I install some into my Smart, IoT, 5G-enabled, 6G-ready, 64KUHD (64KDCI-compatible), hybrid-cloud centric, ISO-900000003 complient, DevOps-developed, anti-Nazi, anti-Aunty, anti-monarchy, anti-sexist, anti-fatist, Woke-aware, toaster; will it stop it from burning the damn toast?

If so, I'm gonna fit some into my AI-*, cloud-connected, 15th generation, 0.00002 mWales-sized, WiFi (802.11az(13))-submissive, crowd-funded, meta-social, VR-envisioned fridge and see if it can stop the milk from going off!