As 2023 arrives, so do two server platforms that support CXL, along with associated chipsets, software, and memory expansion cards. This special episode of Utilizing Tech features the three hosts of this season, Stephen Foskett, Craig Rodgers, and Nathan Bennett, discussing the prospects for CXL in 2023. AMD recently introduced Genoa Epyc, featuring CXL and PCIe 5, and it is widely expected that Intel will introduce Sapphire Rapids Xeon very soon with similar support. We expect these new server platforms to be adopted quickly by hyperscalers and to reach the enterprise datacenter throughout the year. We wonder what CXL memory expansion might bring, from other types of DRAM to persistent memory and possible even Optane. The prospect for shared and pooled memory is perhaps a little further off, but we have already heard that this capability might come to CXL 1.1 via device-specific features. What could go wrong? Enterprise server vendors might not embrace composability for various reasons, and this could derail CXL in the datacenter. Another concern is security, especially for shared memory and devices. The big differentiator will be software that enables systems to take advantage of features from memory expansion to pooling to disaggregation to composability.
- Stephen Foskett, Publisher of Gestalt IT and Organizer of Tech Field Day. Find Stephen’s writing at GestaltIT.com and on Twitter at @SFoskett.
- Craig Rodgers, Solutions Architect at Camlin Group. Connect with Craig on LinkedIn and follow him on Twitter at @CraigRodgersms.
- Nathan Bennett, Focusing on Cloud, Automation, AI/ML, and Emerging Technologies. Connect with Nathan on LinkedIn or follow him on Twitter at @vNathanBennett.
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