Google Prepares "Cure" for Memory Crisis, RAM Hoarders in Panic

Google is developing a new technology called TurboQuant. This technology is an AI-based memory compression algorithm, touted as a “cure” for the memory crisis currently plaguing the industry.

Amid the surge in RAM prices due to high AI computing needs, this innovation is seen as having the potential to relieve pressure in an unconventional way: by making AI require far less memory.

TurboQuant was developed by the company’s research division, Google Research, with a primary focus on memory efficiency during the inference process, when AI models are run rather than trained.

TurboQuant’s operation relies on a technique called vector quantisation, a method of simplifying numerical data representations in vector form to make them more compact without losing important information.

With this approach, data that previously required large space can be compressed significantly while still maintaining the AI model’s accuracy.

Technically, TurboQuant relies on two main methods: PolarQuant and Quantisation-aware Joint Learning (QJL).

PolarQuant functions by changing the way data is represented to make it more efficient when stored in memory, without sacrificing computational quality.

Meanwhile, QJL trains the AI model to be “aware” that the processed data will be compressed, allowing the model to adapt and still produce accurate outputs even when working with compacted data.

With the combination of these two techniques, researchers claim TurboQuant can save up to six times more memory usage compared to conventional methods.

This means AI models can “remember” more information in a much smaller space, while also reducing performance barriers due to memory limitations.

In recent times, memory prices, especially DDR5, have skyrocketed due to high demand from the AI industry.

Memory manufacturers are prioritising supplies for large-scale data centres (hyperscalers), making availability for consumer markets like PCs and laptops limited.

As a result, global RAM prices have surged up to four to five times compared to previous normal conditions.