CXL as memory expansion is changing how data centers think about main memory. Direct attached memory on DIMMs has flattened out, with DDR5 barely extending the footprint of older DDR4 systems at the same time that artificial intelligence and similar applications are demanding massive increases in total memory capacity. CXL memory modules can dramatically grow the memory footprint, however CXL introduces new challenges that have users concerned. Increased power requirements, longer access latency, limited per-module capacity, and increased danger of data loss on power failure have end users wondering… is it really worth it? Non-volatile main memory can address these limitations of CXL memory expansion, encouraging data centers to lay the foundation for a future with whole new ways to think about memory pooling.
Bill Gervasi
Bill Gervasi joined Intel in 1976 in the computer systems group manufacturing department, eventually leaving Intel in 1995. During that period, the computer industry changed from computers that filled rooms the size of basketball courts to desktop and laptop form factors in nearly every home in the world.
Since then, Bill specialized in the computer memory technology arena, getting involved in international standards and battles for global dominance for this key part of computer systems. As a chairman of the JEDEC standards organization, he has had a role in paving the memory industry roadmap, and contributed to spreading these standards to the world including engagement with foreign governments. Bill is a public speaker in this niche, generating both excitement and controversy with his aggressive vision for change and progress.
Bill is an incurable practical joker who thrives on making people laugh (or periodically grimace), and his years in the nascent computer industry are polka dotted with gags on unsuspecting co-workers. Bill’s eclectic background also includes years as a published food critic, and fortunately even more years as an aerobics fitness instructor, apparently to burn off the calories consumed while reviewing restaurants. He lives with his wife in Orange County, California.
Bill makes the best coffee in the world, in case you wondered.