Samsung Electronics has launched the first open-source software solution, the Scalable Memory Development Kit (SMDK), that has been specifically developed to support the Computer Express Link (CXL) memory platform.
Samsung introduced the first CXL memory expander that enables bandwidth and memory capacity "to scale to levels far exceeding what is possible in today's server system," in May. Now, Samsung's CXL platform is being upgraded to provide software tools that are easy to integrate.
Vice President of the Memory Product Planning Team, Cheolmin Park stated:
In order for data center and enterprise systems to smoothly run next-generation memory solutions like CXL, development of corresponding software is a necessity. 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.
The company's SMDK allows the CXL memory expander and the main memory to work together in memory systems that are heterogeneous. The extensive software kit contains application programming interfaces (APIs), which are the connections to access software codes, and libraries, which are sets of pre-built and reusable codes. System developers, by employing the SMDK, will be able to include CXL memory into advanced IT systems without the need to change existing application environments, or otherwise utilize it to optimize application software settings to match particular system requirements.
Samsung's latest SMDK supports memory virtualization as well, which enables system designers to effectively administer an expanded memory pool in shared memory architectures. The SMDK will be open-sourced within the first half of 2022. Currently, it is available on a limited basis for initial testing and optimization.
