Meet CUDIMM: Micron unveils the PC’s first next-gen memory modules

Micron’s Crucial division today launched what the company says will be the next stage in the evolution of the PC’s humble memory module: CUDIMMs for laptops and CSODIMMs for desktops. Both will be necessary to continue allowing PC memory speeds to scale even higher, especially when Intel’s Arrow Lake chip arrives.

The clocked unbuffered dual inline memory modules (CUDIMMs) and the clocked small-outline dual memory modules (CSODIMMs) include a small clock driver circuit directly on the module itself. Traditional dual-inline memory modules (DIMMs) use the CPU clock instead.

That’s been satisfactory, until now. Micron’s new modules allow the PC’s memory to reach 6,400 megatransfers per second, or 15 percent faster than a “traditional” DDR5 DIMM. Put another way, these new CUDIMMS and CSODIMMS can achieve DDR5-6400 speeds. According to JEDEC and Micron, putting the clock driver on the module itself enables the more precise timings that these higher speeds need, and would be unable to process using the more traditional timing method.

Naturally, Micron is positioning these as solutions for end users who want to invest in AI. But they’re general-purpose PC memory, and will likely be used as much as gamers as those trying to run a high-speed LLM chatbot on their PC.

Intel has validated the new modules for use with its Arrow Lake chips, which will begin shipping later this month. Micron, meanwhile, has begun shipments of the new modules to PC customers. They’ll appear in 32Gbit modules of up to 64GB for Arrow Lake desktops, allowing for up to 256GB total capacity for Arrow Lake desktops. But you can’t buy them now; Micron will begun selling them online to end users beginning in the first half of 2025. Pricing hasn’t been disclosed, either. They will include a “limited lifetime warranty,” however.

These new CUDIMMS are totally different than CAMM2 memory, yet another type of PC memory module that was recently introduced. The Compression Attached Memory Module (CAMM) is designed for laptops, and to help end users upgrade their laptop memory while still maintaining a tight, compact module design.