DIMM chipset keeps expanding
DIMM 晶片組不斷擴充

For DRAM modules -i.e., dual in-line memory modules (DIMM)-, DDR5 deployment will allow the DIMM chipset (1) market to grow rapidly in the coming years with a CAGR_22-28 of ~20%, enabling a significant expansion of the total addressable market (TAM) by more than $3 billion in five years.
對於 DRAM 模組 (即雙直列記憶體模組 (DIMM))，DDR5 的部署將使 DIMM 晶片組 (1) 市場在未來幾年快速成長，年複合成長率_22-28 約為 20%，使總可應對市場 (TAM) 在五年內大幅擴張超過 30 億美元。

Few weeks ago, Renesas, a leading supplier of DIMM chipsets, announced the introduction of its third-generation DDR5 registered clock driver (RCD) as well as the first-generation client clock driver (CKD), also for DDR5. The RCD and CKD, designed for enterprise and client DRAM modules, respectively, enable new speeds in terms of mega transfers per second (MT/s) on both market segments: 6400 MT/s in the case of the RCD and 7200 MT/s for the CKD.
數週前，DIMM 晶片組領先供應商 Renesas 宣佈推出第三代 DDR5 登錄時脈驅動器 (RCD) 以及第一代用戶端時脈驅動器 (CKD)，同樣適用於 DDR5。RCD 和 CKD 分別為企業級和用戶端 DRAM 模組而設計，可在這兩個市場區塊上實現每秒百萬次傳輸 (MT/s) 的新速度：RCD 為 6400 MT/秒，CKD 為 7200 MT/秒。

The DIMM chipset can handle clocking functions, memory buffering, and power management. Trading off reliability, robustness, capacity, cost, and speed, enterprise modules usually include more on-module chips than the client ones. Among them, RCDs, acting as the bridge between the memory controller and the DRAM chips, provide Commands/Addresses (CA) and clocks to achieve synchronous data transfers from and to the DRAM chips mounted on the DIMM. RCDs were first introduced with the DDR3 standard and have been mounted exclusively on enterprise DIMMs. With increasing data transfer speeds required by client applications such as high-performance gaming, a high-speed clock driver able to buffer and re-drive clock signals and fulfilling analog functions to enterprise RCDs is needed for client applications. The CKD, already standardized by JEDEC, meets those needs. Renesas follows Montage (6400 MT/s) and One Semiconductor (8400 MT/s) in offering such chips. On the other hand, the third-generation RCD is a new step to meeting the bandwidth requirements to support memory-intensive use in the data center, such as machine learning, deep learning, and inference. In that field, Renesas follows Rambus as the second supplier offering a 6400 MT/s RCD.
DIMM 晶片組可以處理時脈功能、記憶體緩衝和電源管理。在可靠性、穩定性、容量、成本和速度的權衡下，企業級模組通常比用戶端模組包含更多的模組晶片。其中，RCD 作為記憶體控制器與 DRAM 晶片之間的橋梁，提供指令/位址 (CA) 與時脈，以實現 DIMM 上 DRAM 晶片之間的同步資料傳輸。RCD 在 DDR3 標準中首次推出，並專門安裝在企業級 DIMM 上。隨著客戶端應用（例如高效能遊戲）對資料傳輸速度的要求越來越高，客戶端應用需要一個能夠緩衝和重新驅動時脈信號的高速時脈驅動器，並滿足企業級 RCD 的類比功能。CKD 已經由 JEDEC 標準化，能夠滿足這些需求。瑞薩繼 Montage (6400 MT/s) 和 One Semiconductor (8400 MT/s) 之後推出此類晶片。另一方面，第三代 RCD 是滿足頻寬需求的新進步，可支援資料中心的記憶體密集型使用，例如機器學習、深度學習和推理。在該領域，Renesas 繼 Rambus 之後，成為第二家提供 6400 MT/s RCD 的供應商。

The memory-logic performance gap in data rates and module capacities required by the processing units and those offered by DDR DIMMs keeps increasing. The gap is bigger for enterprise applications. To further increase the capacities per module and the data rates, the leading players in the industry are developing new modules, such as Multi-Ranked Buffered DIMM (MR DIMM) and Multiplexed Combined Ranks DIMM (MCR DIMM). Both concepts leverage an RCD that allows the memory controller to access both memory ranks on the DIMM simultaneously to increase the data transfer rate. Hence, speeds up to 17,600 MT/s are planned. In the DIMM chipset provider market, Renesas was the first supplier to offer an MRCD (at sampling) for MCR modules. Taking the leadership on next-generation RCDs, Renesas confirms its position as the DIMM chipset supplier offering the most complete catalog.
處理單元所需的資料傳輸率和模組容量，與 DDR DIMM 所提供的記憶體邏輯效能差距不斷擴大。企業應用的差距更大。為了進一步增加每個模組的容量和資料傳輸率，業界的領導廠商正在開發新的模組，例如多階緩衝式 DIMM (MR DIMM) 和多工組合階 DIMM (MCR DIMM)。這兩種概念都利用 RCD，讓記憶體控制器可以同時存取 DIMM 上的兩個記憶體等級，以提高資料傳輸速率。因此，速度最高可達 17,600 MT/秒。在 DIMM 晶片組供應商市場中，瑞薩是第一家為 MCR 模組提供 MRCD (樣品) 的供應商。瑞薩科技在下一代 RCD 的領導地位，確立了其 DIMM 晶片組供應商的地位，提供最完整的產品型錄。

Regarding the DIMM chipset market revenue, in our latest report, DRAM Modules 2023, we concluded that there is a head-to-head competition between Montage and Renesas, followed by Rambus. The three suppliers are responsible for 97% of the total revenue. With the DDR5 ramp-up and the constant expansion of the chipset portfolio, the market is expected to reach ~$4 billion by 2028 from ~$1.1 billion in 2022 for a CAGR_22-28 of 20%.
關於 DIMM 晶片組市場的營收，在我們最新的報告《DRAM 模組 2023》中，我們得出的結論是，Montage 和 Renesas 之間存在正面競爭，其次是 Rambus。這三家供應商共佔總營收的 97%。隨著 DDR5 量產以及晶片組組合的不斷擴充，預計到 2028 年，市場規模將從 2022 年的約 11 億美元達到約 40 億美元，年複合成長率_22-28 為 20%。

In summary, the data rate is essential to cope with processing unit needs, especially for data center architectures. The latest Renesas announcements regarding their latest RCD and CKD chips align with such needs and confirm the two growth vectors for the DIMM chipset market in the coming years: DDR5 and the DIMM chipset expansion with more complex ICs.
總而言之，資料傳輸率對於處理單元的需求是不可或缺的，尤其是對於資料中心架構而言。Renesas 最新發表的 RCD 和 CKD 晶片符合這些需求，並確認未來幾年 DIMM 晶片組市場的兩個成長主軸：DDR5 以及採用更複雜 IC 的 DIMM 晶片組擴充。

At Yole Group, we are closely monitoring this market, continuously gauging the associated stakes.
在 Yole Group，我們密切注意這個市場，持續評估相關的利害關係。

Check out our products for more information and stay tuned.
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(1) The chipset includes: Registered Clock driver (RCD)- Data Buffer (DB)- Power Management IC (PMIC)- Serial Presence Detect Hub (SPD)- Temperature Sensor (TS).
(1) 晶片組包括暫存時脈驅動器 (RCD)-資料緩衝器 (DB)-電源管理 IC (PMIC)-序列存在偵測集線器 (SPD)-溫度感測器 (TS)。