Albert,
Intel turns to Taiwan for third-party DDR chipsets - from the EBNNews - this news is not really new to this thread, but this article is an interesting read with more details on Intel's RAMBUS contractual obligations.
ebnews.com ______________________
Some excerpts from the article:
In a newfound spirit of cooperation, Intel Corp. is turning to third-party chipset vendors to fill a competitive void by supplying the processor giant with core-logic chipsets. But how long will the goodwill last?
[...]
A spokesman for Intel, Santa Clara, Calif., denied the licensing deals with Taiwan's chipset makers were prompted by the company's agreement with Rambus Inc., which authorizes Intel to support Direct Rambus DRAM in its processor line, but bars support for DDR SDRAM. ...
[...]
The decision to back Rambus has cost Intel ground in the chipset market, where as recently as 18 months ago it held more than an 80% share, according to analysts. In a poll last week, Taiwan's motherboard manufacturers generally reported that Intel's Rambus-enabled 820 and 840 chipsets have yet to gain wide acceptance with board makers and contract PC assemblers.
[...]
Despite Intel's comments to the contrary, observers say the company's predicament stems from its contract with Rambus, Mountain View, Calif., which gives the chip maker rights to Direct Rambus DRAM but restricts it from supporting any rival high-speed memory technology for the next three years. Rambus can terminate Intel's Direct RDRAM license if the company moves to make chipsets that support non-Rambus memory with a bandwidth of 1 Gbyte/s or more-a ban that clearly encompasses the 1.6- to 2.1-Gbyte/s performance of DDR SDRAM.
Specifically, two clauses in Intel's 1997 licensing agreement allow Rambus to terminate the accord if Intel introduces a high-performance chipset other than Direct Rambus. According to the contract, Rambus can void the license if “Intel communicates to any of the then current top 10 DRAM manufacturers that Intel has plans to support, as the primary DRAM for PC main-memory applications for the years 2000, 2001, and 2002, any [new] interface other than the [Direct] Rambus [interface].”
The license can also be canceled if “Intel does not represent [to Rambus] that [Direct] Rambus DRAM will be the primary DRAM for PC main-memory applications for the years 2000, 2001, and 2002.”
[...]
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Goutama
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