Hi Zeev Hed; Re: "Carl, since the patents were not yet published in April 1992, the industry efforts to get around the technology must have been based on "private peeks" under NDA."
Since 1992 is such a long time ago, I can't easily find links dating that far back, but as early as June 1992 the industry (Toshiba in particular) already had working samples of RDRAM chips. That would indicate that it is likely that everybody in the industry already was well aware of Rambus' technology.
The basic fact, Zeev, is that if you are trying to get the industry to use your new fangled memory interface, you don't do it by keeping quiet about it. Instead, you tell everybody about it, publish as many articles as you can get, get all the free press you can, and generally make yourself as well known as you can. I would predict that Infineon has no trouble whatsoever with any NDAs filed with Rambus. The basic reason is that Rambus is all about the interface, and the interface, in order for engineers to use it, must be public. NDAs would apply to the details of how the internal circuitry works, but it would certainly not apply, for instance, to the number of banks included in a chip.
-- Carl
P.S. Proof (from Rambus' own site) that RDRAM chips were running in June 1992:
June 1992: Toshiba demonstrates working 4Mbit RDRAM
rambus.com |
