Memory module with optical interconnect that enables scalable high-bandwidth memory access

Abstract

One embodiment of the present invention provides a system that facilitates scalable high-bandwidth memory access using a memory module with optical interconnect. This system includes an optical channel, a memory buffer, and a random-access memory module. The memory buffer is configured to receive a request from a memory controller via the optical channel. The memory buffer handles the received request by performing operations on the random-access memory module and then sending a response to the memory controller via the optical channel. Hence, the memory module with optical interconnect provides a high-speed serial link to the random-access memory module without consuming a large number of pins per channel on the memory controller.