Connector cos. ready for RDRAM
Richard Richtmyer
Despite the delay in Intel Corp.'s launch of its 820 chipset and lingering uncertainty about the time frame for the industry's adoption of the Direct Rambus DRAM interface, the world's three leading connector makers are preparing for a strong surge in demand for parts compliant with the Rambus memory systems.
AMP Inc., FCI Electronics Worldwide, and Molex Inc. have each been developing connectors for Rambus in-line memory modules (RIMMs) for more than a year, and none of the three has backed off of its efforts on that front as a result of Intel's scheduling shift.
In March, Intel pushed back the high-volume delivery date for the Intel 820, or "Camino," chipset until late in the third quarter. The chipset, which features the 800-MHz Direct RDRAM interface, was a key component in many PC OEMs' planned transition to the new memory. It had been expected to be widely available in June.
And while the delay has spurred some Direct RDRAM chip makers and OEMs to re-evaluate their product plans, raising questions about how quickly the industry will adopt the new design, connector suppliers stand ready to deliver large volumes of parts that support the Direct RDRAM architecture.
AMP, Harrisburg, Pa., earlier this month said its connectors for RIMMs have passed Rambus' validation testing and meet the impedance requirements that allow for transmission of data on the high-speed Rambus system.
But while AMP can lay claim to bragging rights for being the first connector supplier deemed fully compliant with the Rambus specifications, its competitors are likely to follow soon.
"AMP is first in being fully compliant and validated, but I think the others are close behind," said Subodh Toprani, vice president and general manager of Rambus' Industry Enabling Division.
Toprani said he expects to see Molex and FCI Electronics, as well as some of the other connector makers that have been tooling up for the Direct RDRAM model, to be in full compliance with the Rambus specifications within the next three months.
"I believe that the connector industry is more than poised to deliver as many connectors as the OEMs want this year and next year," he said.
AMP is already geared up for high-volume production of RIMM connectors.
"We have capacity now for about 800,000 per month, and we have plans in motion to get to 1.5 million per month by the September time frame," said Jim Leidy, marketing manager for AMP's global PC division.
Although he acknowledged that AMP did re-evaluate its RIMM-connector program when Intel changed the Camino chipset time-frame, Leidy said the company did not retreat from its plans to supply the parts in mass quantities. AMP is already seeing strong demand from the top five U.S. PC manufacturers, he said.
"We didn't slow things down, we just delayed the capital expenditures for additional capacity," Leidy said. "In June we'll decide whether we'll pull the plug for more capacity. One-and-a-half-million a month should be sufficient to cover us through the early ramp-up, but we're going to have to start in June if we're going to make the massive volumes they're talking about by the end of the year."
Meanwhile, AMP's major U.S.-based rival, Molex, also stands ready to support Direct RDRAM.
"We've ramped up into high-volume production as well," said Kevin Alberts, product manager for RIMM connectors at Molex, Lisle, Ill.
Although he declined to provide specific capacity figures, Alberts said Molex continued full force with its RIMM-connector program in the wake of Intel's shift in timing.
"We set forth a production plan several months ago, before the push-out, and we've followed through with that," he said. "We've continued with our tooling and production plans, and we're set for high volume right now. I would expect, as Rambus and Intel have been stating, that with the release of the 820 chipset, the demand will ramp very quickly."
Executives at FCI Electronics-which, with the acquisition of Berg Electronics Corp. by Paris-based parent Framatome Connectors International, became a RIMM-connector supplier last fall-are likewise optimistic about demand for the products.
"We are not focusing so much on the 'if' but more so on the 'when,'" said Michel Cuilhe, president and general manager of the Valley Green, Pa., company. "We are ramping up in production right now."
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