Double Memory Without Adding Any

ByJohn Teresko IBM's Memory eXpansion Technology gives server users new money-saving alternatives. Either cut costs by purchasing half the memory (same performance) or increase performance by installing the same amount of memory to gain twice the capacity. For large Internet service providers and other large installations, the savings could be in the millions of dollars, says Ellen Yoffa, director of personal and scalable systems at IBM Corp's Thomas J. Watson Research Center, Yorktown Heights, N.Y. MXT is a hardware implementation of compression algorithms that automatically store frequently accessed data and instructions close to a computer's microprocessors so they can be accessed immediately. Look for MXT early next year on IBM servers and eventually on laptops, PCs, workstations, and pervasive e-business solutions, adds Yoffa.