The 233GB is VIRT, meaning virtual memory. It need not all be backed by physical memory. For example, if you mmap a file, and then access only a small portion.

The 233GB is VIRT, meaning virtual memory. It need not all be backed by physical memory. For example, if you mmap a file, and then access only a small portion. The RES column shows how much memory is resident (eg, currently backed by physical memory), and that is a much more reasonable 12GB.