JEDEC Solid State Technology Association, the global leader in standards development for the microelectronics industry, today announced the publication of JEDEC DDR3L, a widely anticipated addendum to its JESD79-3 DDR3 Memory Device Standard. Continuing the evolution of DDR3 as the dominant DRAM standard today, DDR3L will enable a significant reduction in power consumption for a broad range of products that utilize memory; including laptops, desktops, servers, networking systems and a wide array of consumer electronics products. The updated version of JESD79-3, including the DDR3L addendum, is available for free download here.

Called DDR3L for DDR3 Low Voltage, devices adhering to the new standard will operate from a single 1.35V power supply voltage compared to 1.5V in existing devices. Under the new standard, DDR3L memory devices will be functionally compatible to DDR3 memory devices, but not all devices will be interoperable at both voltage ranges.

he DDR3L standard defines the operating characteristics for DDR3L memory devices, with the devices offering a reduction in power consumption of 15% or more as compared to DDR3 (and 40% as compared to DDR2), when operating at the same performance and load capacity. This significant reduction in power consumption, especially in memory-intensive systems, will have dramatic benefits in areas such as power supply demand, system cooling requirements and potential packaging density.

"The JEDEC DDR3L standard defines an energy-efficient solution that benefits the environment, manufacturers and end users," said Robert Feurle, Vice President DRAM Marketing, Micron Technology. "Device power consumption is a critical focus for our customers, and Micron is pleased to support the development of the DDR3L standard as a means to enable a reduction in power usage without impacting performance."

"The benefits of using JEDEC DDR3L in the server market are immediately apparent," added Joe Macri, Corporate Vice President, Chief Technology Officer Client Division, AMD. "The possibility of reduced power consumption and lowered cooling demands with no loss in performance can have a far-reaching, positive impact - especially as the industry strives to meet ever more challenging environmental requirements."

Wide Availability
Already available in limited supply with some manufacturers, 1.35V devices are forecasted to be widely available from suppliers, who have been working within JEDEC to ensure DDR3L compatible devices may be procured from multiple sources. Rapid introduction will be facilitated by the fact that the fundamental specifications have not changed, and many systems will require only minor modifications in order to adhere to the new standard.

"Samsung strongly supports publication of the DDR3L specification," said Jim Elliott, vice president, marketing and product planning, Samsung Semiconductor, Inc. "We anticipate rapid adoption of this standard in the marketplace, which will add considerably to the movement for greener components, something we've been aggressively supporting for our power-conscious customers."

John Kelly, JEDEC President, added, "The publication of DDR3L is an integral part of the ongoing effort within JEDEC to extend memory device technologies to meet the industry's need for environmentally-friendly, high performance products."