DDR chip sets target Rambus-only Willamette
Jul. 21, 2000 (Electronic Engineering Times - CMP via COMTEX) -- SAN JOSE,
CALIF. - While Intel Corp. has said its upcoming Willamette CPU will work only
with Rambus memory, at least one independent chip set vendors-and perhaps a
second-is developing parts to link the gigahertz processor with a Rambus
alternative: double-data-rate SDRAM components.
Via Technologies Inc. and Acer Laboratories Inc. (ALI) now produce chip sets for
the current generation of Pentium chips, which use standard SDRAM. At the
Platform Conference here last week, both gave advance looks at the new versions
of those devices for DDR that will roll out soon.
But on the eve of its biggest microprocessor launch in years, Intel finds itself
squeezed between its public support for Rambus memory technology and the
possibility that a slow Rambus DRAM ramp will drag down the early, high-priced
sales of Willamette.
The CPU will use a completely new front-side bus, so third-party chip set
companies that want to market Willamette-compatible parts must negotiate a new
bus-licensing agreement with Intel. Launching next quarter at clock rates north
of 1 GHz, Willamette will work only with Rambus memory because traditional SDRAM
architectures do not allow the device to deliver its best performance, Intel has
claimed.
But limited availability of Rambus parts may be forcing Intel to rethink that
decision. "We don't believe there will be enough Rambus parts available, and
that may hinder the Willamette launch," said Sherry Garber, memory analyst for
Semico Research Corp. (Phoenix). "Intel will not sacrifice the Willamette launch
in order to support Rambus, and the product just isn't there now."
That leaves Intel with the choice of licensing its new bus architecture to
outside chip set vendors for use with DDR memory. Intel is already in the final
test stages for Tehama, the chip set for the Willamette and RDRAM, and the
company has repeatedly stated that it will not design in-house a chip set for
DDR memory. Indeed, Intel may be barred by a 1997 deal with Rambus from
supporting DDR.
A likely scenario
Bob Merritt, chip set analyst for Semico, said Via and ALI are the two most
logical candidates to take on this task because they already produce
Intel-compatible chip sets. A third possibility, Server Works, would not say
whether it plans to enter that market.
Eric Chang, Via's marketing director, said his company plans to produce a DDR
chip set for the Willamette, which will likely be called the ApolloPro 2001 and
which should sample in late 2001. He said Via has already asked Intel to grant
the company a bus license for the new part, but left open the notion of shipping
the chip set without a license.
Via incurred the wrath of Intel last year for delivering a PC133 chip set for
use with Intel processors. Intel filed a patent-infringement suit against the
chip set vendor, claiming that its license did not permit the use of that
specific memory format. Via continued to ship the part in large numbers while
the legal conflict dragged on. That dispute was settled a few weeks ago.
"History will repeat itself," Chang predicted. "We have 40 percent of the chip
set market. Intel can't afford to ignore us. They need our help."
Nancy Hartsoch, Acer Laboratories' vice president of marketing and sales and
chief operating officer, said that her company also is negotiating with Intel
for a Willamette bus license, but she noted that one of ALI's key business
principles is to respect other companies' intellectual property rights. "We
won't put out any parts until we have all the licenses that are required," she
said.
Merritt suggested that early Willamette yields are one of the key factors
prompting Intel to grant the coveted bus licenses. If yields are good, the
company will want to sell as many of the chips as they can produce, and that
will almost certainly require the support of an alternate memory format like
DDR.
"Intel is in business to sell processors. They sacrificed some of their market
share in the chip set business by sticking to Rambus in the past over PC133,"
said Merritt. "But there is no way that they will stand by Rambus if it means
sacrificing a major microprocessor rollout." |
