Extreme Memory Profile (XMP) is a specification serving as an extension to the standard JEDEC SPD specifications developed by Intel.

Mechanism

Memory DIMMs incorporate a serial presence detect (SPD) chip which contains information about the memory module. This chip follows a specification defined by JEDEC which includes a number of tables, including reserved entries unused. Intel's XMP standard uses the reserved entries in the SPD for its own purpose: particularly for overclocking purpose.