Micron’s Hybrid Memory Cube Earns High Praise in Next-Generation Supercomputer

BOISE, Idaho, Nov. 7, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Micron Technology, Inc., (Nasdaq:MU) announced today it is planning to adapt its Hybrid Memory Cube (HMC) for petascale supercomputer systems, representing a dramatic step forward in memory technology. HMC is designed for applications requiring low-energy, high-bandwidth access to memory, which is the most important requirement for supercomputers. Other applications include data packet processing, data packet buffering or storage, and processor acceleration.

Micron and Fujitsu, a global leader in supercomputing, will each exhibit a display board that features HMC devices in Fujitsu’s next-generation supercomputer prototype at the Supercomputing ’13 Conference in Denver, November 19—21.

Supercomputing is an essential technology that enables scientists and engineers to address complex simulations that drive research and development and enables them to explore fundamental questions about the organization of our universe. Addressing topics of this magnitude requires tremendous data movement capability. Using HMC to unlock the potential of a supercomputer’s multicore processor architecture will enable exceptional performance efficiency.

“The designers and engineers at Fujitsu saw early on the value of raising their system to the next level with the help of Hybrid Memory Cubes,” said Brian Shirley, vice president of Micron’s DRAM Solutions Group. “We anticipate helping Fujitsu to immediately grow their capabilities for the most advanced computing challenges.”

“Our system designers are highly impressed with HMC because it enables new memory system designs that support our increased demand for bandwidth, super-compact form factor, and optimized energy per bit,” said Yuji Oinaga, head of Fujitsu’s Next Generation Technical Computing Unit. “For optimal performance efficiency of the application software, it is essential to improve the B(Bytes)/F(Flops) ratio, and HMC represents the new standard in memory performance for supercomputing.”

An industry breakthrough, HMC uses advanced through-silicon vias (TSVs)—vertical conduits that electrically connect a stack of individual chips—to combine high-performance logic with Micron’s state-of-the-art DRAM. Micron’s HMC delivers an unprecedented 160 GB/s of memory bandwidth while using up to 70 percent less energy per bit than existing technologies, which dramatically lowers customers’ total cost of ownership (TCO).

HMC has been recognized by industry leaders and influencers as the long-awaited answer to the growing gap between the performance improvement rate of DRAM and processor data consumption rates. Micron’s HMC was recently named Memory Product of the Year by leading electronics publications, EDN and EE Times.

Micron expects volume production of both the 2GB and 4GB HMC devices later in 2014.