At the very beginning of October 2024, the brand MemryX launched its MemryX MX3 chip, dedicated to AI calculation. It was then officially available for production, but so many announcements were not followed by facts that doubt was allowed as to the consequences and real existence of the product, “vaporware” (ghost products) being rather numerous on the side of startups linked to the world of computer hardware. This is not the case this time since not only does the chip exist, but it is also offered in the form of an additional card in the format M.2 2280 soberly baptized MemryX M.2 Module.
Each MemryX M.2 Module contains 4 MemryX MX3 chips, which can operate at 1 GHz, we are told, with an AI calculation power of 6 TOPS per MX3, or 24 TOPS for a complete module. All this would be done with a consumption of between 6 and 8 watts under load, low enough for a simple radiator, supplied, but not present in the presentation photo above, to be sufficient to dissipate the heat emitted by the MemryX M. 2 Module.
With 24 TOPS, we are obviously not dealing with a thunderbolt of war. However, the interest of the product, which opens the door to backup solutions, for example for PC configurations which are not equipped with a processor including an NPU responsible for AI calculations. If an imperative of minimum power required for this type of task were to appear, we are thinking in particular of the professional world where replacing an entire computer fleet is a challenge, the addition of these “Edge AI” modules which only require an M port .2 2280 format PCIe 3.0 could quite find its use if there is no need for more than these 24 TOPS, which are sufficient for many basic tasks in the end.
The MemryX M.2 Module is not cheap for its small computing power: $149, it will remain to be seen if others rush into this breach of alternative solutions allowing to boost the AI performance of systems which do not. are not provided with origin. Our colleagues from Phoronix were in any case able to get their hands on a copy of the MemryX solution and were rather pleasantly surprised by the result!
The MemryX M.2 Module under test at Phoronix
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