Chinese memory has apparently started making its way to global vendors, as Corsair's DDR5 modules have been spotted with CXMT DRAM.
CXMT Takes Charge of The Global DDR5 Memory Supply Chain As Taiwanese & US Firms Lock In DRAM Supply Towards AI
There has been a lot of talk going around CXMT and YMTC flooding the global markets with DRAM and NAND chips, as the AI supercycle has created a tight supply chain around commodity memory and SSDs.
There were already reports that the major PC manufacturers have started exploring the integration of Chinese memory into their products due to the ongoing shortages, and it looks like we have our very first example.
As per pictures posted by leaker @wxnod, CXMT's DRAM is being used by Corsair for its DDR5 memory modules. Corsair is one of the top US-based PC components manufacturers, including memory modules.
Just like every other PC company, Corsair is also facing tight supply for DRAM as Micron, Samsung, and SK Hynix have prioritized the majority of their production towards DRAM solutions for AI, such as HBM & LPDDR5X. This leaves little to no room for PC OEMs and vendors to get their memory supply through.
But CXMT has been doubling down its efforts to produce DDR5 DRAM, and has further accelerated its development to match the three DRAM giants. The company is already offering up to 8000 MT/s speeds, and DRAM dies featuring 16 Gb and 24 Gb capacities. At the same time, other Chinese DRAM makers like Jiahe Jinwei are racing to boost DDR5 RDIMM production, which is used by data centers & workstations.
Similar Specs & Performance As SK Hynix & Samsung DRAM
Coming back to the memory, the Corsair DDR5 Memory Module in the picture features a capacity of 16 GB, has a speed of 6000 MT/s, and has the "CMK5X16G3E60C36A2-CN" ID.
This is part of Corsair's Gaming Vengeance lineup, and features a 1.1-1.35V design with support for AMD EXPO and Intel XMP. The timings are rated at CL36, which is on par with what the standard Samsung / SK Hynix A-Die-based Vengeance kits of the same specs offer.
The most important thing to note is that the DRAM manufacturer is listed at ChangXin Technologies or CXMT. Now there are plenty of reasons why Corsair has chosen CXMT over its usual Samsung and SK Hynix partners. The shortages we mentioned above are the primary reason, and then there's the cost factor.
Given how massively Chinese firms are increasing their memory production capacity this year, they can not only facilitate their own domestic needs but also provide a cheaper yet similar spec'd alternative to offshore PC manufacturers. Both CXMT and YMTC are going to double their wafer output capacity through an "Epic Expansion" initiative, which is already underway.
As the memory crisis intensifies and more pressure is exerted on Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron, Chinese vendors will start to fill in the gaps, and are already seeing major revenue boosts. We expect to see lots of Chinese DRAM solutions powering memory modules from well-known brands at Computex this year.
About the author: A Software Engineer by training and a PC enthusiast by passion, Hassan Mujtaba serves as Wccftech's Senior Editor for hardware section. With years of experience in the industry, he specializes in deep-dive technical analysis of next-generation CPU and GPU architectures, motherboards, and cooling solutions. His work involves not only breaking news on upcoming technologies but also extensive hands-on reviews and benchmarking.
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