CXMT DRAM Expansion Could Ease Global Memory Shortages

Chinese memory manufacturer CXMT is making the jump to the mainstream DDR5 market with its partnership with Corsair. A hardware enthusiast discovered this Corsair Vengeance DDR5-6000 CL36 RAM kit, which uses CXMT memory chips rather than Samsung, SK Hynix, or Micron.

The kit is likely only available in China as it is based on its CN part number – the first time that CXMT DRAM has made an appearance in a major Western brand product. All memory chips manufactured now go into inventory. Even if Micron, SK Hynix, and Samsung were the only brands producing DDR5 chips, supply would still be limited for gamers in China.

Who's Winning the Chip War?

What was the motivation for CXMT to say they have an abundance of supply almost sounds like a joke. Sanctions thwarted HBM for AI because the company lacked the tools required for HBM production, and instead its production lines were kept open for consumer DDR5 memory.

As Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron continue to target more lucrative areas, it seems CXMT might be targeting a portion of the DDR5 market. The dialog soon broadens to a bigger issue: when memory shortages become serious enough that Corsair has to seek out a Chinese chip maker in a no-bans zone on whom he can rely, who's really winning?

In terms of strategy, it's more important to the government than gaming DDR5 memory. With that out of the way, the discussion moves away from manufacturing and toward the price of hardware. An EXPO memory profile problem that caused a system not to post prompted a reflection on memory prices and system priorities.

Several of those drives were initially geared for servers.

Looking back, there was a time when storage was in the spotlight. This era of SSD adoption meant that having an SSD was enough to be believed. Before this, high-speed mechanical drives established their own hardware culture. Redesigned drives, such as the WD VelociRaptor, were noteworthy for their 10,000 RPM speed and design.

Certain versions were installed on large metal heatsinks, and the resulting appearance suggested it was designed for performance, even if not so much. Previous generations were larger, and later generations became smaller and linked to a larger heatsink assembly. The advantages of keeping a backup remain. There are still reasons to keep a backup.