AMD Unveils MEXT Flash Memory Solution for EPYC
AMD unveiled MEXT, a software-driven memory solution for EPYC servers that uses AI to move cold memory pages from DRAM to flash while keeping pages expected to be needed soon in DRAM. Its components include a Linux driver, an AI engine and the RAM View observability platform. AMD says the system can reduce DRAM usage by 20% to 75% while maintaining similar performance. Phase 1 makes MEXT ready for deployment on EPYC servers with dedicated NVMe drives or bays; licensing and a preinstalled RAM View are planned for Phase 2.
AMD positions MEXT as a software-based way to reduce data-center DRAM costs and expand memory capacity amid DRAM supply pressure. The report cites agentic AI, EDA and chip design, databases and analytics, and media and entertainment as potential workloads.
AMD MEXT is a brand new memory solution that utilizes Flash to mitigate DRAM costs and supply concerns across EPYC CPUs.
AMD MEXT Aims To Address The Ongoing DRAM Crisis Through An Innovative "Flash-Based" Memory Solution
The memory supercycle continues to rage, and supply/demand continues to worsen. Today, the DRAM cost alone makes up 75% of the total server cost, and DRAM manufacturers face shortages that show no sign of ending.
Although DRAM prices have seen a major reduction over time if we compare the ~$50M / GB cost from the 1970s to ~$8 / GB in the 2010s (a 6,000,000x reduction driven by Moore's Law), recently, the prices have surged beyond ~10 / GB and continue to rise.
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