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Technology Stocks : Rambus (RMBS) - Eagle or Penguin -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Jdaasoc who wrote (59967)	11/2/2000 3:33:10 PM
From: Barry Grossman	Respond to of 93625

I don't know if this article has been posted but if not, as you read this, just remember that Rambus has now signed licensing agreements with companies that acount for >40% of the total DRAM business worldwide. The three big holdouts are betting their company's future on the hopes that they will be able to convince a court that they ARE NOT violating Rambus's patents, that the argument that the patents are invalid because of their JDEC claims, which Rambus has PUBLICLY DISPUTED AND DENIED ANY WRONGDOING, will be upheld, or that RAMBUS has committed some antitrust violation by trying to demand royalties for the use of a patent. The OTHER choice is to join the crowd and license the technology themselves. Bet the company vs 2-3% of sales, a cost the entire industry will have to pay and which will in effect become an across the board price increase to everybody. The bottom line is that ultimate buyers of the pc's will pay the premium - and gladly, I'll bet, when they see what that technology gets them. 11/02/00 - Intel Confirms Plan For DDR Pentium 4 Chipset Nov 02, 2000 (Tech Web - CMP via COMTEX) -- Confirming speculation circulating in research circles for weeks, Intel Corp. said it will adopt double-data-rate SDRAM for the company's upcoming Pentium 4 microprocessor at the point at which DDR memory "becomes mainstream in the market." Paul Otellini, executive vice president and general manager of the Intel Architecture Group, told a webcast briefing for financial analysts that "we will take advantage of DDR after introducing a single-data-rate SDRAM chipset [for Pentium 4] next year." He didn't elaborate or indicate whether Intel (stock: INTC) would adopt third-party DDR chipsets for Pentium 4 or introduce its own version. Otellini reiterated Intel's long-held stance that RDRAM continues to be the company's memory of choice for the high-performance PC market segment, but "in the drive into multiple [market] price points, we find the need to have multiple memory solutions." In the last month, Intel, Santa Clara, Calif., has been inching toward an official word that it would introduce its own DDR desktop-PC chipset, and in a series of public statements has gradually increased its support for the interface. However, Otellini stopped short of disclosing full details of Intel's memory roadmap. As reported earlier, a confidential Intel roadmap reveals that in the third quarter next year the company will launch a single-data-rate SDRAM chipset known as Brookdale, which will be followed by a device with DDR support for Intel's upcoming Northwood-class Pentium 4 mainstream desktop processor. Additionally, a chipset known as Almador will be rolled out late in the second quarter of 2001 with both single- and double-data-rate SDRAM support for an upgraded Pentium III processor, according to the Intel roadmap. Intel's first Pentium 4, code-named Willamette, is set for launch Nov. 20 for workstation and high-end desktop-PC applications and will only support Direct RDRAM. Otellini said Intel is confident that "there is sufficient inventory, production capacity, and supplier commitment that the memory ramp will match our processor ramp. Direct Rambus won't be a ramp limiter." Otellini didn't address contractual issues related to its agreement with memory-interface designer Rambus Inc. that preclude Intel from fielding a DDR chipset until 2003. The Intel (stock: INTC) executive did say, however, that the chip giant "has recaptured its [chipset] market share" and has ramped up production of its 815 family of SDRAM logic and memory controllers. Otellini said when the 815 was introduced early this year, it was production-limited because Intel's fab capacity was devoted primarily to processor output. "In Q3 we were able to get enough capacity to build a much higher volume of 815 chipsets," he said. "We have gained back the chipset market share we previously held." Separately, Otellini gave the first hint of a totally new processor Intel is developing solely for the notebook PC market. He didn't elaborate, but said it's the first processor the company has designed from scratch exclusively for mobile PCs. techweb.com