Micron introduces early DDR5 DRAM access with new program

Micron sign on side of building

Memory and storage firm Micron Technology has announced its new Technology Enablement Program (TEP), which will provide customers with early access to technical resources and products, including DDR5 DRAM.

The program has been designed to help with the design, development and qualification of next-generation computing platforms that use DDR5, the company said.

Qualified partners – which already includes Cadence, Montage, Renesas and Synopsys – will have access to certain DDR5 components and modules, new DDR5 products as they become available, a host of technical resources, as well as other ecosystem partners who can help with chip and system-level design.

The news follows Micron’s announcement back in January that it had begun DDR5 RDIMM samples, which are said to offer double the memory density and a more than 85% performance increase over DDR4.

“Micron has been driving deep technical engagements with the world’s largest server and hyperscale companies to help them better understand how DDR5 can benefit their unique workloads,” said Tom Eby, senior vice president and general manager of Micron’s Compute & Networking Business Unit.

“We’re proud to now extend that collaboration across the entire ecosystem through our Technology Enablement Program to help accelerate time to market for this critical next-generation technology.”

As the most technically advanced DRAM, DDR5 offers improvements to performance, density and reliability, serving up twice the effective bandwidth when compared to its predecessor DDR4.

Ultimately, this will help relieve the growing bandwidth-per-core crunch for data centres, as well as enabling high performance and improved power management in a wide range of applications, Micron explained.

As part of the Technology Enablement Program, Micron Technology – with its key global brands Micron and Crucial – said it will be working alongside channel partners such as distributors, VARs and OEMs/ODMs as they release new DDR5 products into the market.

“Crucial is working closely with partners and customers at every step of their development process to ensure a smooth transition to DDR5,” commented Teresa Kelley, vice president and general manager of Micron’s Consumer Products Group.

“From power-on through validation and final qualification, Crucial is committed to providing DDR5 memory solutions for all our channel customers, whether it be for data centre, consumer or gaming applications.”

Daniel Todd

Dan is a freelance writer and regular contributor to ChannelPro, covering the latest news stories across the IT, technology, and channel landscapes. Topics regularly cover cloud technologies, cyber security, software and operating system guides, and the latest mergers and acquisitions.

A journalism graduate from Leeds Beckett University, he combines a passion for the written word with a keen interest in the latest technology and its influence in an increasingly connected world.

He started writing for ChannelPro back in 2016, focusing on a mixture of news and technology guides, before becoming a regular contributor to ITPro. Elsewhere, he has previously written news and features across a range of other topics, including sport, music, and general news.