Cadence Introduces Industry-First LPDDR6/5X 14.4Gbps Memory IP to Power Next-Generation AI Infrastructure

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Cadence announced the tapeout of the industry’s first LPDDR6/5X memory IP system solution optimized to operate at 14.4Gbps, up to 50% faster than the previous generation of LPDDR DRAM. The new Cadence® LPDDR6/5X memory IP system solution is a key enabler for scaling up the AI infrastructure to accommodate the memory bandwidth and capacity demands of next-generation AI LLMs, agentic AI and other compute-heavy workloads for various verticals. Multiple engagements are currently underway with leading AI, high-performance computing (HPC) and data center customers.

The Cadence IP for the JEDEC LPDDR6/5X standard consists of an advanced PHY architecture and a high-performance controller designed to maximize power, performance and area (PPA) while supporting both LPDDR6 and LPDDR5X DRAM protocols for optimal flexibility. The solution supports native integration into traditional monolithic SoCs as well as multi-die system architectures by leveraging the Cadence chiplet framework, enabling heterogeneous chiplet integration. The chiplet framework, including the previous LPDDR generation, was successfully taped out in 2024.

“The evolution of data centers from HPC compute virtualization to AI training and inference at scale has driven a massive buildout of AI infrastructure, and designing for efficient data movement via memory interfaces has never been more crucial. LPDDR6 has emerged as a key enabler of accelerated compute, providing the speed, bandwidth, power profile and capacity needed to efficiently perform AI inference,” said Boyd Phelps, senior vice president and general manager of the Silicon Solutions Group at Cadence. “With this tapeout, Cadence is continuing our track record of memory IP leadership by offering an industry-first LPDDR6 implementation delivered as an integrated subsystem optimized for customer applications.”

The complete PHY and controller memory system boasts a new high-performance, scalable and adaptable architecture based on Cadence’s proven and highly successful DDR5 12.8Gbps, LPDDR5X 10.7Gbps and GDDR7-36G product lines. This first offering in Cadence’s new LPDDR6 IP product line supports the LPDDR6 and LPDDR5X standards, including LPDDR5X CAMM2.

Suitable for the AI, mobile, consumer, enterprise HPC and cloud data center markets, the advanced LPDDR6/5X memory IP system solution allows maximum flexibility for end products with a range of performance, capacity and cost targets—ensuring long production runs. The LPDDR6/5X PHY is customizable for different package and system topologies and available as a drop-in hardened macro. This ensures fast and reliable integration, translating into rapid time to market.

The Cadence LPDDR6/5X controller includes a full set of industry-standard and advanced features for memory interfaces, such as support for the Arm® AMBA® AXI bus. The memory controller is provided as a soft RTL macro for maximum flexibility in features, power, area and performance.

The Cadence LPDDR6 solution includes the LPDDR6 Memory Model, which enables engineers to perform comprehensive verification and ensure that system-on-chip (SoC) designs are compatible with the latest JEDEC interface standard, accelerating their adoption of this new technology with confidence. The LPDDR6 Memory Model includes a complete set of protocol checks, functional coverage and a verification plan.