Lenovo and Micron implement LPCAMM2 memory in laptop

Lenovo’s latest ThinkPad P1 Gen 7 laptop is set to be the first to use the new LPCAMM2 memory form factor, the successor to SODIMM sticks.

While Lenovo has largely focused on the AI performance of its new laptop, which is equipped with an Intel Core Ultra CPU and Nvidia RTX 3000 Ada GPU, the company also noted that its device was the first in the world to use the LPCAMM2 memory standard.

LPCAMM2 uses 64 percent less space than SODIMM and 61 percent less active power, according to Lenovo. This is thanks to it being based on LPDDR5X memory instead of regular DDR5.

Designed specifically for laptops, the LPCAMM2 standard actually has its origins in tech developed by Dell. Simply termed CAMM (Compression Attached Memory Module), it first debuted as a proprietary type of memory in Dell’s Precision 7670 in 2022. However, in 2023 the PC giant donated its intellectual property to JEDEC, the organization that standardizes memory technologies.

CAMM became LPCAMM2 (Low-Power Compression Attached Memory Module) in September 2023 when JEDEC finally confirmed its specifications. Samsung promptly announced plans to produce LPCAMM2 sticks, and claimed they would have 50 percent more performance and 70 percent more efficiency than their SODIMM-based predecessors. Plus, LPCAMM2 can offer dual-channel memory without requiring a second module.

Among performance and efficiency boosts, LPCAMM2 is designed to be user upgradeable like SODIMM. Additionally, its physically smaller size may make it an alternative to soldered LPDDR5X modules, which can’t be removed from computers without a soldering iron.

Micron seems to have beaten Samsung to the punch with a tech it first announced in January during CES. Micron has talked up LPCAMM2’s benefits for AI, but if all the claims about the new standard bang on, then it would be a big improvement for all users.

There aren’t any in-depth analyses or reviews of LPCAMM2 in the ThinkPad P1 Gen 7 at this stage. Micron’s claim of an 80 percent reduction in idle power usage is an especially grand assertion, and it’s not clear if LPCAMM2 can live up to that. ®