LPCAMM2 Will Bring Faster, Upgradable Memory to Some Laptops
Let's hope this is the end of the road for memory soldered onto the motherboard for a lot of laptops.
Say hello to LPCAMM2, the compression-attached memory module designed to save power and modernize the way memory is configured in your next laptop. It's a recent standard from JEDEC that packages dual-channel LPDDR5/X and DDR5 memory onto a thin, replaceable, standard-design circuit board. At CES 2024 memory chipmaker Micron Technology announced that it's ready to supply LPCAMM2 in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB modules.
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LPCAMM2 memory will make a bigger impact in laptops that normally use DDR5 rather than those that use LPDDR5/X, mostly because LPCAMM2 uses LPDDR5/X, just in a different physical configuration. The modules are much smaller than the DDR5 SODIMMs used mainly in high-powered laptops, and LPDDR5/X is more power-efficient and potentially faster because its maximum supported data rate is 9,600Mbps. (The "LP" in "LPDDR" stands for for low power.)
But current LPDDR5/X motherboards will gain an important capability: LPCAMM2 is upgradable. One of the big issues with LPDDR5/X is that current designs require it to be soldered to the motherboard, which makes it inflexible when you're configuring a laptop to buy. It also makes it impossible to upgrade. Although LPCAMM2 modules can't be removed without tools -- a girl can dream -- they do attach to the connector with three (hopefully) easily accessible screws. And the standard design means, if we're lucky, that you'll be able to buy modules from other manufacturers.
Micron's the first to announce its modules are available, but other companies probably aren't far behind. Samsung announced its own LPCAMM memory in September 2023 -- LPCAMM is the development precursor to what will eventually get commercialized -- but hasn't yet announced production.