DDR3 Low Voltage Memory Becomes Official JEDEC Standard

JEDEC's JESD79-3 DDR3 Memory Device Standard seems to have gained a quite necessary, and highly anticipated addendum, in the form of the DDR3L. DDR3L is short for DDR3 Low Voltage and defines a new iteration of today's dominant DRAM standard. Devices adhering to it are expected to operate on voltages of 1.35V instead of 1.5V and will be compatible with DDR3 devices, though not all of them will be interoperable at both voltage ranges.

DDR3L basically uses up at least 15% less power than DDR3 and 40% compared to DDR2. This will not only lower power supply demand, but will even modify cooling requirements for the better and may even provide some advantages regarding potential package density. What's most important, however, is that the DRAM has these advantages while working at the same performance and load capacity as the ones it is being compared to. Limited inventories of 1.35V devices are already available from some suppliers.

“The JEDEC DDR3L standard defines an energy-efficient solution that benefits the environment, manufacturers and end users,” said Robert Feurle, Vice President DRAM Marketing, Micron Technology. “Device power consumption is a critical focus for our customers, and Micron is pleased to support the development of the DDR3L standard as a means to enable a reduction in power usage without impacting performance.”

DDR3L will soon start to show up as part of servers, networking systems, desktops, laptops and a wide range of consumer electronics. Rapid adoption will be facilitated mainly by the fact that systems will only need to undergo minor modifications. The specifications, and full details, can be found on the official website.

“The benefits of using JEDEC DDR3L in the server market are immediately apparent,” added Joe Macri, Corporate Vice President, Chief Technology Officer Client Division, AMD. “The possibility of reduced power consumption and lowered cooling demands with no loss in performance can have a far-reaching, positive impact - especially as the industry strives to meet ever more challenging environmental requirements.”