Google Recycles Retired Servers for DDR4 Modules Amid DRAM Shortage
Google has been facing constraints in the DRAM sphere, forcing AI hyperscalers to resort to unconventional methods. The company is reusing DDR4 modules from retired servers in its new AI servers. This decision was made by Nikhil Cherian, senior director of Google's supply chain infrastructure.
The shift from compute-constrained to memory-constrained has led to high-performance memory accounting for 75% of an AI server's bill of materials (BOM) costs. To break through the memory bottleneck, Google is working on both software and hardware solutions.
Google has designed special hardware adapters to connect previous-gen memory solutions to new-generation servers. The company is also re-importing retired servers just to strip them of their DDR4 modules. This move establishes an internal recycling supply chain within Google.