Collaboration between the two companies began in 2015 and this latest agreement looks to extend their joint efforts to enhance memory capabilities, reduce energy consumption and improve overall system performance.
“With the increasing challenges in conventional approaches to improving memory capacity and power efficiency, our early research indicates that a significant change in the operating temperature of DRAM using cryogenic techniques may become essential in future memory systems,” said Dr Gary Bronner of Rambus Labs. “Our strategic partnership with Microsoft has enabled us to identify new architectural models as we strive to develop systems utilising cryogenic memory. The expansion of this collaboration will lead to new applications in high-performance super computers and quantum computers.”
The technologies being developed by the companies will improve energy efficiency for DRAM and logic operation at cryogenic temperatures, defined by the US National Institute of Standards and Technology as less than −180°C, −292°F or 93.15K.
In addition, it will be possible to develop high-speed SerDes links that will be able to operate efficiently in cryogenic and superconducting domains and allow new memory systems to function at these temperatures.