Samsung introduces industry’s first open-source solution for CXL memory platform

Samsung Electronics said Thursday it is unveiling an open-source software solution specially designed to expand the use of the compute express link memory platform.

Dubbed a “scalable memory development kit,” or SMDK, it is the industry’s first solution for customers of the relatively new memory platform CXL developed by Samsung in May.

CXL is an open interconnect standard that allows not only CPUs but also other high-performance computing system such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and big data, to effectively expand system memory capacity using a DRAM.

SMDK can be described as an extensive software kit that consist of libraries and application programming interfaces.

Libraries are sets of pre-build, reusable codes used by developers to create programs and API serves the role of a pathway to access libraries. And API speeds up program making process by allowing developers to skip the process of rebuilding codes needed to make a program.

The new software kit will help software developers adjust memory capacity and bandwidth to levels apt for diverse system environments.

It is significant to develop such software in order for data center and enterprise systems to smoothly run next-generation memory solutions like CXL.

“Today, Samsung is reinforcing its commitment toward delivering a total memory solution that encompasses hardware and software, so that IT OEMs can incorporate new technologies into their systems much more effectively,” said Park Cheol-min, vice president of memory product planning at Samsung.

The company plans to open-source their SMDK within the first half of next year after going through initial testing with industry leaders on diverse applications such as AI, edge and cloud.

By Hong Yoo (yoohong@heraldcorp.com)