Memory Expansion for High Performance Computing, Utilizing the CXL Interface (Part 1 of 3)

At SMART Modular, we're committed to helping our customers stay ahead of the curve by eliminating the systemic bottlenecks caused by memory:? performance, power, price, capacity, and supply chain options.

?CXL? solutions include cutting-edge memory products, based on industry-standard interfaces, that enable high-performance servers configured for various market segments and applications, to break through barriers and expand the limits of systems.

?Our CXL-based PCIe? Add-in Cards (AICs) and CXL Memory Modules (CMMs) offer immediate benefits in capacity, cost-efficiency, and performance, while also futureproofing your systems for the evolving software ecosystem that will leverage CXL capabilities.

?Whether you’re an ODM designing server platforms, a Systems Integrator configuring and upgrades boxes, an OEM selling solutions, or the end user or CSP delivering compute cycles and storage to customers, follow this4-part series as a primer to level-up your knowledge of memory solutions using the CXL interface and the benefits it delivers.

?Understanding CXL Technology

?Compute Express Link (CXL) is revolutionizing server memory architecture, offering unprecedented flexibility and performance for high-performance computing environments. SMART Modular is a leading provider of memory solutions at the forefront of CXL innovation, particularly with our PCIe add-in cards for memory expansion.

?CXL is a protocol suite that operates on the PCIe bus, comprising CXL.io, CXL.cache, and CXL.mem. For memory expansion, we focus on Type 3 devices, which come in two main form factors:?

1. EDSFF (Enterprise and Data Center Standard Form Factor): E3.S devices that are easily removable and installed at the front of the system.
2. Add-In Cards (AIC): Traditional PCIe-type cards that can be used in many existing systems, offering flexible configuration options.

?Our CXL memory expansion cards allow you to significantly increase your system's memory capacity beyond the limitations of DIMM sockets. For example, a system with 12 DIMM sockets can achieve a 133% increase in memory capacity by adding two 8-DIMM CXL add-in cards. This expansion capability is crucial for memory-intensive applications in artificial intelligence, high-performance computing, and big data analytics. While CXL memory does introduce a slight increase in latency compared to direct-attached DRAM, it offers several performance advantages:

• Reduced queuing delay, the primary contributor to memory latency on loaded systems, by providing an alternative memory access path
• Increased overall bandwidth by adding to, rather than replacing, existing memory controllers
• Significant performance improvements in various applications:
• In-memory databases: Up to 23% performance boost
• Machine learning: More than 2x performance increase?
• High-performance computing: 17% improvement in bandwidth-intensive workloads

?As CXL technology continues to evolve, we're seeing exciting developments in memory pooling and disaggregation. Future implementations may include dedicated storage boxes with even greater memory capacity behind CXL switches, promising further advancements in memory architecture.

?At SMART Modular, we're committed to helping our customers stay ahead of the curve with cutting-edge CXL solutions. Our CXL-based PCIe add-in cards offer immediate benefits in capacity, cost-efficiency, and performance, while also futureproofing your systems for the evolving software ecosystem that will leverage CXL capabilities.

?Up Next:? Key Benefits of CXL Memory Expansion

?CXL memory expansion offers several compelling benefits that are transforming the landscape of server memory architecture. At SMART Modular, we've designed our CXL-based PCIe add-in cards to maximize these advantages for our customers.