Violin Memory, AMD Collaborate On Terabyte Server Memory

Violin Memory and AMD will collaborate to extend server memory into the Terabyte range by using HyperTransport technology to enable Violin 1010 Memory Appliances to connect directly with AMD Opteron processor-based servers. HyperTransport technology — a high-speed processor interconnect — allows several multi-core processors to share a common memory space. In this case, several AMD processors will be able to share memory resources from multiple Violin Memory Appliances. An AMD Opteron processor-based server connected to a HyperTransport technology-enabled Violin Memory Appliance will have both directly connected memory and Extended Memory resources. Violin's Memory Appliances enable Terabyte-scale DRAM memory through a switched memory technology. A single 2U appliance can support 84 Violin Memory Modules (VIMMs). Each module supports 6 GBytes of DRAM, which provides for total appliance capacity of 504 GBytes. Violin Switched Memory (VXM) provides RAID-like redundancy and allows failed memory modules to be replaced without the loss of application data. Violin opened a facility in Austin, Texas to pursue the development of the HyperTransport technology interconnect. Products using this technology are expected to arrive in the second half of 2008.