GOC

Yours Truly, recently wore out a top of the line SATA hard drive in less than year. Suspecting that the reason for the failure was that my drive is always in use around the clock (multiple applications running that access the swap file on disk, almost continuous defragging and optimization of EXE files on the drive, and so forth) I added 4 GB of DDR RAM to my system, and placed the swap file on a i-RAM board from GIGABYTE (www.gigabyte.com.tw) loaded with an additional 4 GB of unbuffered / non-error correcting, battery-backed, DDR RAM. (The onboard custom intelligent controller makes the i-RAM act like a regular SATA hard drive at the theoretical 1.5Gbps data transfer rate.)

 

I would have liked to add more RAM to my PC – ideally, I’d love to obviate the drive entirely and run everything in RAM at super speed – but I have only four memory slots, and thus the system can only hold 4 gigabytes.

 

In fact, there’s been an ongoing “gap” between processor computing power, which doubles every 18 months in accordance with Moore’s Law – and DRAM capacity, which doubles only every 36 months. This gap thus limits processor performance, since it doesn’t have access to copious amounts of memory.

 

Now however, a San Jose, California-based company called MetaRAM (www.metaram.com) enters the picture. Their “drop in” solution – MetaSDRAM technology, essentially an intermediate memory controller between the memory chips seated on the DIMM (Dual In-line Memory Module) and the PC’s “Northbridge” or memory controller – can double or quadruples the amount of conventional DDR2 SDRAMs that can be integrated into existing R-DIMMs (Registered Dual In-line Memory Modules) without the need for any system hardware or software changes. The MetaSDRAM chipset makes multiple DDR2 SDRAMs look like a larger capacity DDR2 SDRAM to the memory controller. (MetaRAM technology was developed by Surest Rajan.)

 

The DDR2 MetaSDRAM Chipset contains two types of ASICs designed and manufactured by MetaRAM: the Access Manager, which handles address and command management, and the Flow Controller, responsible for data management. Each MetaSDRAM chipset is optimized for low power and high performance. DDR2 MetaSDRAM Chipsets come in 8 GB or 16 GB kit versions and are capable of running at speeds up to 667MT/s.

 

A MetaSDRAM R-DIMM combines a MetaSDRAM chipset with 72 or 144 mainstream 1 gigabit SDRAMs to provide an 8 GB or 16 GB DIMM that is compatible with industry standards and existing platforms. A high-end server with dual processors can hold up to about 64 GB of memory. But by plugging in DIMMs equipped with MetaRam's chips into the same server, the server’s capacity can now be increased to 128 GB or 256 GB.

 

The largest eight-processor servers generally top out at 256 GB of memory. By installing MetaSDRAM R-DIMMs, such servers can now house an astonishing 512 GB or 1 terabyte of memory. MetaRAM’s technology is upwardly compatible, so if higher density memory chips appear, MetaRAM’s “multiplier effect” continues to increase the total amount of RAM that can be accessed by the processor. For example, if the maximum capacity of an eight-processor server reaches 512 MB, a MetaSDRAM-equipped “makeover” will enable it to hold an amazing 2 terabytes of memory.

 

MetaRAM’s magical chipset costs a reasonable $200 in 1,000-unit quantities.

 

MetaRAM is a company that has received the backing from three of the four founders of Sun Microsystems (News - Alert): Vinod Khosla, Andreas Bechtolsheim, and Bill Joy.

 

Smart Modular Technologies and Hynix in South Korea have already agreed to produce DIMMs with MetaRam's chips. Servers and workstations from Rackable Systems (News - Alert), Colfax International, and other manufacturers are also now committed to supporting these new DIMMs and will install them into their products during 1Q 2008.