Micron has announced a line of the industry’s first Low Power Connected Auto Bias Standard (LPCAMM2) memory modules, combining high performance, low power consumption, and relatively high capacity. The new LPDDR5X-based memory cards are designed for laptops and desktops and are expected to coexist with traditional SODIMMs for at least several years. Micron’s LPCAMM2 modules – available in capacities of 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB – are based on LPDDR5X memory and therefore support data transfer speeds of up to 9,600 MT/s, which is considerably higher than the 6,400 MT/s supported by DDR5 SODIMMs, according to Micron. While LPDDR5X memory may be slightly slower in terms of latencies compared to DDR5, it can be offset by higher data transfer rates and other benefits that mobile DRAM possesses. Additionally, Micron states that the modular form factor does not extend the latencies of LPDDR5X memory compared to soldered LPDDR5X memory subsystems. Another benefit of LPDDR5X memory is that it features active power up to 43-58% lower per 64-bit bus at the same speed as DDR5 and standby power up to 80% lower, according to Micron. However, like DDR5 modules, LPCAMM2 modules carry a power management IC and a voltage regulator circuit, which can provide additional ways for module manufacturers to reduce the power consumption of their products. (Image credit: Micron)
Meanwhile, an LPCAMM2 module has a 128-bit memory interface, which means that only one of these modules is necessary to saturate the memory interface of modern processors for laptops, such as Intel’s 14th generation ‘Meteor Lake’ Core CPUs. This not only enables designers to make laptops with 128-bit memory thinner, but also simplifies memory subsystems and makes them cheaper. “Micron is transforming the laptop user experience with the LPCAMM2 product, which will deliver the best performance per watt in a flexible and modular format,” said Praveen Vaidyanathan, Vice President and General Manager of Micron’s Compute Product Group. “This groundbreaking product will enhance the capabilities of AI-enabled laptops, whose memory capacity can be upgraded as technology and customer needs evolve.”
When compared to two SODIMMs, an LPCAMM2 module offers 64% space savings, which is a big deal for thin laptops. To make LPCAMM2 modules considerably smaller than two DDR5 SODIMMs, Micron vertically integrates multiple LPDDR5X memory devices, essentially using advanced packaging technology. For example, 64GB LPCAMM2 modules use four 8-Hi LPDDR5X packages. (Image credit: Micron)
Meanwhile, the main advantage of Micron’s LPCAMM2 – modularity that offers a lot of flexibility for PC OEMs, repairability, and an upgrade path for end users – is also its disadvantage (at least for now), as these modules offer a maximum of 64GB, reducing their appeal for mobile workstations that need more memory. Perhaps that is why Micron does not expect LPCAMM2 to replace SODIMMs for now, as the latter offers enough advantages both for budget and next-generation laptops and small form factor desktops. Micron states that the LPCAMM2 specification, whose development it sponsored at JEDEC, is backward and forward-compatible. The modules can use common DDR5 memory, although Micron sees no value in using this type of DRAM with LPCAMM2 modules. Meanwhile, LPCAMM2 supports LPDDR6, so as soon as the new type of memory arrives and gains support from laptop CPUs, Micron will be able to build even faster LPCAMM2 modules. Lenovo is expected to be one of the first companies to use Micron’s LPCAMM2 memory modules in some of its notebooks, although it will take some time for the standard to take off.
“LPCAMM2 is a new dynamic format for the PC ecosystem that enables higher performance, scalable memory capacity, and longer battery life for mobile workstations and thin, lightweight laptops,” said Yasumichi Tsukamoto, Executive Director and Distinguished Engineer of Commercial Product Solutions Development at Lenovo. For now, LPCAMM2 memory modules will be available exclusively from Micron, but other companies, including Samsung, are also preparing LPCAMM modules. Meanwhile, it should be noted that Micron believes that LPCAMM2 modules will be able to serve not only small form factor desktops and laptops, but also other types of applications, including embedded, edge computing, and network solutions. As a sign of the times, Micron naturally mentions artificial intelligence workloads among those that can benefit from small form factor, high-capacity memory modules. (Image credit: Micron)