Samsung claims to be first
with 144-Mbit Rambus DRAM
SEOUL -- Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. here today said it has completed development of a 144-megabit Rambus DRAM Direct component and 144-megabyte Rambus In-line Memory Module, providing twice the capacity and all the same functions as the 72-megabit Rambus it announced in July.
The South Korean memory maker said it expects to begin producing 100,000 of the devices a month beginning early next year and plans, and up to 1 million units in the third quarter.
The Samsung 144-Mbyte Rambus In-line Memory Module can be expanded to 288 Mbytes when both sides of the printed circuit board are bonded. Samsung said this will be the most highly integrated of all Rambus DRAM Direct devices, which conform to the memory architecture from Rambus Inc. of Mountain View, Calf. .
The 144-Mbit Rambus DRAM is produced with 0.23-micron process technology and can process data up to 1.6 gigabytes per second, making it the world's fastest memory product to date, according to Samsung. The memory is packaged using a micro ball-grid array (BGA) package, making it easier to install and helping companies to design information products that are simpler and easier to carry.
The world market for Rambus DRAM Direct devices is forecast to be $2.6 billion in 1999, and $13.5 billion in 2000, Samsung said. By early in the next century this family of devices is expected to make up at least half of the entire DRAM market, the Korean chip maker added.
In 1998, the 100-MHz synchronous DRAM, known as the PC-100, has been a main memory component. Beginning next year, the next-generation Rambus modules are expected to replace the PC-100 SDRAMs. Samsung said its 144-Mbit Rambus DRAM will eliminate the shortcomings of lower-capacity Rambus devices when loaded into high-capacity information products and systems, and thus are expected to have a major impact on the semiconductor market.
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