Memory Revolution: The Rise of 128GB DDR5 Modules and JEDEC’s New Standards

A week ago, Adata and MSI unveiled the world’s first consumer-grade four-rank DDR5 CUDIMM module with a capacity of 128 GB. It has now emerged that this will soon become a new standard, directly approved by JEDEC.

It has become known that other manufacturers, including Gigabyte and Asus, are also working on introducing support for such four-rank modules into their motherboards, although initial support will be limited to high-end models. These actions by manufacturers are driven by the fact that JEDEC is already working on a corresponding standard, which will be named CQDIMM.

While CUDIMM currently supports dual-rank CKD, CQDIMM will support quad-rank CKD. Intel Arrow Lake Refresh processors, which will be released early next year, will be the first to support the CQDIMM DDR5 standard. However, given the current situation with memory prices, 128 GB memory modules might cost as much as all other components combined, without a graphics card.

DDR5 technology is evolving rapidly, with manufacturers racing to accommodate these advancements. The push towards larger and faster memory capacities highlights a significant trend in the computing industry. As the standards develop, consumers can expect these larger modules to become more mainstream, although initial pricing will likely reflect their novelty and technological advancements.

The Arrow Lake Refresh processors play a crucial role in this transition, as they symbolize Intel’s commitment to supporting cutting-edge technologies. This support is crucial for the widespread adoption of CQDIMM DDR5 modules, setting the pace for competitive performance gains in future computing systems.