SDRAM On The Way Out!
RDRAM, DDR market shares increasing
Compiled from outside sources by Iliad Kang, Research Center; Noah Sauve, DigiTimes.com [Monday 28 May 2001]
The introduction of new high-speed CPUs and the upcoming release of Microsoft’s new operating systems and game consoles are creating higher demand for high-performance memory like Rambus DRAM (RDRAM) and DDR (double data rate) SDRAM. SDRAM, which currently accounts for 89% of the total DRAM market, is starting to lose its position as the mainstream memory for IT applications. Some analysts are predicting that by the end of 2001 SDRAM’s share will drop five to ten percentage points. Dataquest is expecting RDRAM to take a 4.8-10.9% share and DDR a 2.9-6.9% share of the DRAM market.
Most are expecting the going price for RDRAM to drop sharply after the Pentium 4 becomes Intel’s top-selling processor. Sony has chosen RDRAM as the memory for the PlayStation 2 (PS2), and is now considering increasing capacity from two 32MB units to four 32MB units. Scheduled for launch in October, Microsoft’s new operating system Windows XP is expected to stimulate the market for high-end computers, thereby creating more demand for RDRAM. Using the 128Mbit unit to calculate, global demand for RDRAM will be at least 250 million chips for the full year. Of this amount, at least 50 million chips will go to game consoles.
Xbox, the new game console from Microsoft, will be equipped with DDR. Intel also has plans to release P4 chipsets with DDR support in 2002, at which time global demand should really begin to take off. By the second half of 2001 the average price for a DDR module will be only 20% higher than that for an SDRAM module. By the beginning of 2002 the difference should be even smaller.
digitimes.com
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I think the author is a little out of date. DDR MB production has been halted due to lack of demand. The authors predicted:Intel also has plans to release P4 chipsets with DDR support in 2002, at which time global demand should really begin to take off.
Intels future doesn't depend on DDR becoming mainstream. AMDs future does. Because of that, I will be very surprized to see Intel support DDR and help out a competitor flat on the mat.
froland. |
