In spite of everything Intel and AMD are doing to lower the power consumption of their respective processor families, memory is becoming a big problem. Why? Because as we consolidate and use virtualisation, the larger boxes we deploy will require vast amounts of RAM. And unlike the processor, RAM can't simply be powered down.
Memory maker Micron is attempting to tackle the problem with its Aspen family of 1.5V FBDIMM. Micron claims these chips can reduce power consumption by 10-15% simply as a result of running at 1.5V compared to 1.8V.
It is good to see some companies are beginning to look at the issue of inefficient memory. It is one of the areas the BCS' Data Centre Specialist Group is focussing on. But memory is the next frontier of data centre efficiency and there is a lot of work that's still to be done in this area to improve server efficiency.
