Micron recently announced the availability of their 30nm DDR3L-RS (formerly DDR3Lm) memory, which could prove particularly beneficial for Ultrabooks and other ultrathin computing devices. Just what is DDR3L-RS memory? It’s a new type of memory that improves overall system power consumption by reducing self refresh power (IDD6). That may not matter much for desktops where an extra watt of power draw is hardly noticeable, but when you’re using an Ultrabook that idles at well under 10W even a 250mW reduction in power draw can yield a significant improvement in battery life. Micron also notes that the new 2Gb and 4Gb solutions will reduce standby power requirements, allowing a laptop to remain in suspension for much longer. Perhaps more importantly, DDR3L should be able to do all of this while providing the same high performance of traditional DDR3 memory, and pricing will be “competitive”.

Micron is also the first vendor with DDR3L-RS products to be validated by Intel, giving them a leg up on the competition. In addition to the current 2Gb and 4Gb devices, Micron has also begun sampling 8Gb x 32 DDR3L-RS and is delivering 8Gb x 16 DDR3L-RS. Production for both is slated for December 2012. These products should help reduce board space by increasing density, which is again particularly beneficial for the new wave of ultrathin computing devices—and hopefully it spells the end of 4GB non-upgradeable Ultrabooks. Finally, Micron expects additional power and footprint savings with the launch of DDR4-RS in early 2013.