Microchip SMC 2×00 CXL Memory Controller Powers Cool Devices

At FMS 2024, we saw the SMC 2×00 CXL memory controller, along with several devices that it powers. Not only did we see a few more traditional memory expansion devices, but we also saw a fascinating non-volatile memory module from SMART.

Microchip SMC 2×00 CXL Memory Controller and Devices

Here is the controller shown at the show. The little placard says it is a CXL 2.0 DDR4 or DDR5 memory controller.

Here is a closer shot of the chip.

Microchip also had a few devices. One is a Micron CZ120 that we have seen before. The SMART CMM-E3S is a 128GB E3.S module.

The most interesting one, however, might be the DDR4 ECC module, which has its own energy source to be used as a non-volatile DRAM source. This is really cool since it could potentially be an option to replace NVDIMMs in systems.

Here is a more traditional DIMM solution where the memory is installed on a PCIe card.

There was also a Longsys 512GB CXL Memory Expansion Module. This card was absolutely huge. At the same time, adding eight DIMMs per card and then multiple cards per system is a neat way to add a lot of memory.

CXL was featured more at FMS 2024, so this was great to see.

Final Words

With the 2H 2024 processors, we are going to hear a lot more about CXL 2.0 as that is a key feature. We thought this one was a fun one so we wanted to show the Microchip SMC 2×00 controller devices. This has come a long way since we covered the Microchip SMC 1000 For The Serial Attached Memory Future designed for IBM devices.