Samsung's Kanadjian joins Rambus; Intel shuns DRAM designer
By Jack Robertson
Electronic Buyers' News
(12/27/99, 03:26:51 PM EDT)
Rambus Inc. this week added a key industry executive to its management team, but the addition wasn't enough to offset a major blow by Intel Corp.
Avo Kanadjian, vice president of marketing for Samsung Semiconductor Inc., has joined Rambus, a developer and licensee of high performance chip-to-chip interface technologies, to head up the company's marketing efforts.
Kanadjian will be joining Rambus at a time when the memory company may have suffered its biggest setback from Intel. Sources said Intel did not ask Rambus to join its Next Generation DRAM alliance, despite its long-standing allegiance to the Direct Rambus DRAM platform.
Spokespeople for both Intel and Rambus declined to comment on the report that Rambus isn't part of the new DRAM alliance. Kanadjian did not respond to calls on Monday.
Intel recently formed the Next General DRAM alliance to design a DRAM device that will succeed upcoming versions of double-data-rate SDRAM for the 2004-2005 time period, according to sources.
The alliance includes Intel, Hyundai MicroElectronics Co. Ltd., Micron Technology Inc., Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., NEC-Hitachi Memory Inc. and Infineon Technologies AG.
Kanadjian's sudden departure from Samsung to join Rambus surprised memory industry executives and analysts.
Sherry Garber, analyst with Semico Research Inc., Phoenix, however, pointed out that since Samsung has been the leading memory company supporting Direct Rambus DRAM, Kanadjian might be expected to join the design firm.
However, she felt Kanadjian was a strong marketing leader for Samsung's U.S. operation, which is the worldwide DRAM market share leader based on revenue, according to her figures.
Garber said Intel's shunning of Rambus in its new alliance was a stunning development, even though the chip maker has already pulled the plug on Greendale, its first mobile chipset to support Direct Rambus
memory.http://www.ebnonline.com/story/OEG19991227S0014 |
