A system needs at least one real DDR4 module, everything else can be packed with Optane DC persistent memory, enabling up to 4.5TB of memory per DDR4 socket! Performance remains a bit of a mystery though.
Intel Optane DC persistent memory provides a new foundation for data center performance, delivering up to 36TB of system-level memory capacity when combined with traditional DRAM. Intel Optane DC persistent memory allows customers to transform critical data workloads – from cloud and databases to in-memory analytics and content delivery networks.
A system restart reduction from minutes to seconds Up to 36 percent more virtual machines Up to 2x system memory capacity; up to 36TB in an eight-socket system