Why the NEC NEWS is GOOD NEWS!!!
Stantz is right--here's the story
by: h0db (40/M/Tysons Corner, VA)
7/10/00 9:58 pm
Msg: 132472 of 132520
The important part is at the end:
"The NEC production halt is, however, not permanent. The firm will mass-produce 288-megabit DRDRAMs compatible
with Intel's Pentium 4 microprocessor, slated to be launched late this year, the sources said."
NEC's entire RDRAM production was for the Nintento 64. All of NEC's RDRAM was 64mB and 128mB (that mega-BIT;
divide by 8 to see how many BYTES that is). The Sony Playstation-II is killing Nt-64 sales. All of the ASIC processors
(Emotion Engine) and RDRAM for Sony PlayStation-IIs are made by Toshiba--WHICH RECOGNIZED RAMBUS'
BROAD PATENTS RIGHTS TWO WEEKS AGO.
NEC is the first manufacturer to validate 288mb densities, which will greatly reduce costs and improve yields for future
RDRAM.
If I were editing this story, here's what the headline would read:
"NEC RAMPING 288mB RDRAM for Pentium-4 Launch"
This is a huge story. NEC has never produced RDRAM for the PC market--it's ALL Samsung right now. NEC has
validated the first 288mB densities of chips and will ramp production this quarter for the Pentium-4 launch in September.
288mB densities will enable Pentium-4 systems to have higher densities of memory, higher wafer yields, and higher PC800
bin-splits. A Rambus channel is limited to 32 devices (chips). A 256MB non-ECC RIMM with 128mB chips would have 16
chips. Two RIMMS would fill the channel, limiting the memory density to 512MB on i820 motherboards.
A 256MB RIMM with 288mB ECC chips will only have 8 chips (devices)--you could install up to 4 per channel, or use
higher density RIMMS to increase the maximum memory to 2GB or more.
Message 14020987
NEC Suspends DRDRAM Making On Poor Demand Outlook
Monday, July 10, 2000
TOKYO (Nikkei)--NEC Corp. (6701) has halted production of 128-megabit Direct Rambus DRAMs used in personal
computers because it believes they cannot compete against cheaper synchronous DRAMs, currently the most widely used
chip in the industry.
The company will begin producing synchronous DRAMs on lines that until recently had turned out the Direct Rambus
high-speed chips.
DRDRAMs transmit data at higher speeds than synchronous chips, but they are about twice as expensive.
NEC began volume production of the advanced chips late last year, with high hopes to ship 1.5-2.0 million chips per month
to PC makers starting in September.
NEC ranked as the world's No. 2 producer of DRDRAMs, after Samsung Electronics Co., but Intel Corp.'s introduction in
late June of a new chipset compatible with synchronous DRAMs has boosted overall demand for synchronous chips.
The NEC production halt is, however, not permanent. The firm will mass-produce 288-megabit DRDRAMs compatible
with Intel's Pentium 4 microprocessor,slated to be launched late this year, the sources said.
(The Nihon Keizai Shimbun Tuesday morning edition)
Posted as a reply to: Msg 132464 by StatzMahn
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