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To: Rich1 who wrote (79341)	10/22/2001 9:06:07 PM
From: Don Green	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 93625

Rambus introduces memory-interface technologies By Andrew MacLellan EBN (10/22/01, 05:00:26 PM EST) SAN JOSE -- Rambus Inc. today took the wraps off of two new memory-interface technologies aimed initially at boosting bandwidth in consumer and communications devices. The technologies, which together comprise Rambus' new Yellowstone memory signaling architecture, are said to enable 3.2GHz data transfer rates in memory subsystems in applications like game consoles and communications line cards. The memory technology, which is not yet in commercial use, could eventually find its way into the PC market, according to David Mooring, president of Rambus, Los Altos, Calif. “There is room for radical changes to technology, and that's what we're doing with Yellowstone. We're taking the next great leap from the megahertz era to the gigahertz era,” Mooring said today at the Rambus Developer Forum here. According to Rambus, Yellowstone is the first DRAM interface to include a phase-locked loop (PLL) and the first to employ differential signaling, features that the company said contribute to the performance advantage. Specifically, the architecture uses a pair of innovations: Octal Data Rate (ODR) operation and Differential Rambus Signal Levels (DRSL). ODR is a follow on to the double- and quad-data-rate technology of earlier Rambus chips, such as the 800MHz Direct Rambus DRAM. The company increased the chip's internal data rate to 1.6GHz through the use of an on-board PLL then transferred the data on both the rising and falling edge of the internal clock to achieve a 3.2GHz data rate. The use of DRSL drops voltage swings to 200mV, compared with 800mV for existing Direct RDRAM chips, and as high as 3.3V for DRAM using older LVTTL signaling technology. “Minimizing the amplitude of these [voltage] swings is really the key to enabling us to reach this type of bandwidth,” said Rambus vice president Laura Fleming. DRSL also continues Rambus' use of on-chip signal termination. The technique eliminates the expense and added real estate required by competing DRAMs that mount termination resistors on the printed-circuit board rather than directly on-chip, according to Mooring. “In a consumer applications, this allows high performance at a low cost,” he said. “In communications applications, we can deliver the most performance possible out of a given pin count and form factor.” Game machines in particular will benefit from the technology, given that market projections indicate bandwidth requirements in this sector increase 10 times every five years, Rambus said. Speaking at the Rambus forum, Shin'ichi Okamoto, senior vice president and chief technology officer for Sony Computer Entertainment Inc., observed that the Sony PlayStation 2 offers 300 times the performance of its predecessor. In communications applications like line cards, internal data processing requirements can be as high as two to four times the speed of the incoming data, because of the additional computational tasks performed by ASICs and on-board processors, Mooring said. DRAM based on the Yellowstone technology could result in line-card memory subsystems using commercially available backplanes and connectors without resorting to more exotic optical components, he said. To date, Rambus has announced no licensees for its Yellowstone technology. The company's road map doubles the architecture's data rate to 6.4GHz, though Rambus declined to say when this would occur.

To: Rich1 who wrote (79341)	10/23/2001 1:33:16 PM
From: Don Green	Respond to of 93625

Stock Rating Reiterations: ESRX CMX ADVP RYL TDW VTSS TUNE Dow Jones Newswires October 23, 2001 Rating reiterations for Tuesday, Oct. 23, from Briefing.com. Company Symbol Brokerage Reiteration Rambus RMBS Morgan Stanley Neutral

To: Rich1 who wrote (79341)	10/23/2001 1:42:45 PM
From: Don Green	Respond to of 93625

Tanisys Announces Multiple System Shipment of SIGMA 3 Model 800 Test Systems Story Filed: Tuesday, October 23, 2001 9:47 AM EST AUSTIN, Texas, Oct 23, 2001 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Tanisys Technology Inc. (OTCBB:TNIS) ("Tanisys"), a leading supplier of automated test equipment for a wide variety of semiconductor memory technologies, manufactured under its DarkHorse(R) Systems brand name, announced the shipment of a multiple unit order for its SIGMA 3(tm) Model 800 Test System for Rambus RDRAM(R) to Concord Idea Corp. Bosco Lai, Concord Chairman stated, "We were extremely impressed with the Tanisys organization in its ability to provide a cost effective test solution with tremendous capability. Concord is focused on value, performance, and quality, and the Model 800 provides us with the best platform to continue delivering world-class products to our customers. We look forward to this commencement of what we hope will become a long-term partnership with Tanisys." The SIGMA 3 Model 800 is the industry's first affordable test system for 800MHz Rambus RIMM(tm) and SO-RIMM(tm) memory modules. Featuring highly accurate testing at full operating speed, the SIGMA 3 Model 800 is the ideal test system for companies which manufacture, market or integrate the RIMM modules used in next-generation computer systems. "We are thrilled to have Concord Idea on-board as a customer for our Model 800 test platform," said John Bennett, Tanisys Vice President of Sales and Marketing. "The selection by Concord Idea validates our position as the test platform of choice for scalable, cost-effective solutions for testing Rambus RIMM modules." Tanisys Technology Inc. is an industry-leading provider of automated test equipment for a wide variety of memory technologies, including DRAM, SDRAM, DDR, RDRAM(R) and Flash. Tanisys also provides production automation solutions for product testing and handling. Tanisys products include the market-leading DarkHorse memory test systems (SIGMA 3(tm) Model 300, 400, 800 and the SIGMA 4(tm) Model 500). For more information, visit Tanisys Technology's Web site at tanisys.com. New Century Equity Holdings Corp. (Nasdaq:NCEH), a holding company focused on high growth, technology-based companies and investments, is the lead financial investor in Tanisys(R) Technology. Concord Idea Corp. is a designer, manufacturer and distributor of PC memory and PC memory-related products, with an emphasis on delivering value and performance. Concord has earned a reputation as a leader in the highly competitive PC module industry and continues to engineer superior products, sold under the SyncMAX brand name, keeping Concord Idea Corp. at the forefront of PC memory technology. This press release includes statements that may constitute "forward-looking" statements, usually containing the words "believe," "estimate," "project," "expect" or similar expressions. These statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements inherently involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements. Factors that would cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, continued acceptance of the Company's products in the marketplace, competitive factors, new products and technological changes, product prices and raw material costs, dependence upon third-party vendors, and other risks detailed in the Company's periodic report filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. By making these forward-looking statements, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these statements for revisions or changes after the date of this release.

To: Rich1 who wrote (79341)	10/23/2001 1:44:32 PM
From: Don Green	Respond to of 93625

Intersil Selected to Power Gigabyte's New Titan Pentium 4 Motherboards; Intersil's Endura Solutions Selected for Efficiency and Reliability to Ensure Customer's Product Quality Story Filed: Tuesday, October 23, 2001 8:23 AM EST IRVINE, Calif., Oct 23, 2001 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Intersil Corporation (Nasdaq:ISIL), a leading provider of power management solutions for PCs, file servers and portable information appliances, today announced that Intersil's Endura(TM) highly-efficient multiphase Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) controllers, drivers, and ancillary regulators have been selected by Gigabyte Technology Co. Ltd., one of the world's leading motherboard manufacturers, to power the new Gigabyte Titan Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory (SDRAM) and Rambus(R) Dynamic Random Access Memory (RDRAM(R)) motherboards. "Gigabyte's selection of Intersil as their sole supplier of power control products for their Titan motherboards is a significant validation of Intersil's technical expertise for producing innovative high-quality products," said Rick Furtney, vice president and general manager of Intersil's Analog Business Unit. "Gigabyte is well known as a world leader in motherboard innovation offering a very high value to price ratio. They have earned a reputation for quality and enjoy worldwide sales through innumerable outlets. We are pleased to have such a strong partnership established with them." Gigabyte's New SDRAM and RDRAM Motherboards The Gigabyte Titan GA-8IDXH motherboard is based on the Intel 845 chip set, SDRAM and the Intel Pentium 4 Socket 478. The board includes: multilingual BIOS for worldwide use, flash BIOS for easy upgrade, three DIMM sockets for up to 3 GB of PC133 SDRAM, 4-channel sound for excellent audio, built in LAN chip for networking, one CNR slot, one AGP 4X slot, six PCI slots and four USB ports for easy device expansion. The Gigabyte Titan GA-8ITXR motherboard is based on the Intel 850 chip set, RDRAM and the Intel Pentium 4 Socket 478. The board includes: multilingual BIOS for worldwide use, flash BIOS for easy upgrade, four RIMM sockets for up to 2 GB of RDRAM, 4-channel sound plus an AC97 codec for excellent audio, built in LAN chip for networking, one CNR slot, one AGP 4X slot, six PCI slots, four USB ports for easy peripheral connection, and an onboard RAID chip plus four IDE ports for server applications. "Gigabyte's corporate vision is to become the world's number one motherboard maker and eventually to gain prestige as the most valuable information products supplier in the world," said Richard Ma, president of Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd. "To achieve these goals, we must ensure the quality of our products and maintain a high value to price ratio. That is why we selected Intersil's Endura power products to power our most prized Titan motherboards. It's a partnership in quality." Intersil's Power Solution for Gigabyte's Titan Motherboards The total power solution for Gigabyte's Titan motherboards includes the world's most advanced and efficient multiphase chip sets for the latest Intel Pentium 4 technology and chip sets. The Pentium 4 processor's power is precisely regulated using Intersil's Endura HIP6301 four-phase PWM controller combined with the Endura HIP6601A synchronous rectified buck n-channel MOSFET drivers. This combination provides the most balanced and efficient core supply in existence today. Endura multiphase chipsets enable the industry's highest-performance lowest-cost Pentium 4 core regulator. The reference design enables the quick and easy transfer of the core regulator layout from one motherboard to another which greatly reduces the customer's costs and time to market.

To: Rich1 who wrote (79341)	10/23/2001 1:45:39 PM
From: Don Green	Respond to of 93625

Samsung Widens Networking Market With Extreme Temperature Range RDRAM Story Filed: Monday, October 22, 2001 3:01 PM EST SAN JOSE, Calif., Oct 22, 2001 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Samsung Semiconductor -- Samsung introduces industrial temperature range 288Mb RDRAM(R) -- Long-term RDRAM(R)commitment meets required networking product life cycles -- Enables network processors to operate in extreme temperature environments -- Leads in next-generation system requirements Samsung Semiconductor, Inc. today announced it is widening its range of RDRAM(R) to include devices guaranteed to operate over the full industrial temperature range of -40 degrees to +85 degrees Celsius. Available in a 288Mb density, this is Samsung's first RDRAM(R) product targeted at extreme temperature environments far beyond the capability of standard devices. "We have successfully combined RDRAM(R) high-speed performance with extreme temperature range functionality," said Tom Quinn, Samsung Semiconductor, Inc.'s Vice President of Marketing. "Now our industrial customers have the high-speed, industrial temperature range devices they have been demanding for their networking and telecommunications products." Samsung is the world's leading supplier of RDRAM(R), with more than a 70 percent market share and total revenues in excess of $2 billion. The company expects to strengthen its grip on the industrial sector with these new, extreme temperature range RDRAM(R) devices. "We have many customers looking to use our products in extreme temperature conditions, and Samsung's commitment to industrial temperature range RDRAM(R) allows us to meet their most stringent requirements," said Steve Bassett, IQ2000 Network Processor Product Manager, Vitesse Semiconductor Corporation. Samsung is committed to the ongoing research and development of manufacturing technologies and processes required for extreme temperature range RDRAM(R) devices. Technological innovation and customer service are what set Samsung RDRAM(R) apart from the competition. "Samsung is committed to supporting the long product life cycles of the networking community. And we are 100 percent committed to supporting our RDRAM(R) customers long-term," affirmed Mike Pearson, Director of Networking Business Development at Samsung Semiconductor, Inc. "Samsung's long-term commitment to industrial temperature range RDRAM(R) extends beyond year 2006." As the packaging for RDRAM(R) evolves, Samsung will continue to develop new processes that are compatible with the latest component technologies and are inherently reliable when exposed to temperature extremes. Samsung is committed to supporting the 2x16d version of the 288Mb RDRAM(R), a part widely used in networking and telecommunications products, to the 2006 timeframe and beyond. About Samsung Semiconductor, Inc. Samsung Semiconductor, Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. Headquartered in Seoul, Korea, Samsung Electronics, with year 2000 sales revenue of US $27 billion, is a world leader in the electronics industry. It is the world's leader in DRAM memory, SRAM memory, and TFT-LCD display products for industrial, mobile and desktop computing applications. Samsung Electronics is also the world's fourth largest semiconductor company overall with a full line of semiconductor products including microprocessor and custom ASIC components. Maintaining its long and distinguished history of industry firsts, Samsung Electronics is the first company to develop a 4-gigabit DRAM and has fully-functional prototypes of the next generation DDR-II DRAM. Samsung Semiconductor, Inc. is located in San Jose, California. For more information, please visit our Web site: samsungusa.com.

To: Rich1 who wrote (79341)	10/24/2001 11:31:21 AM
From: Don Green	Respond to of 93625

Micron CEO to forego salary until losses end By Jack Robertson, EBN Oct 23, 2001 (11:18 AM) URL: siliconstrategies.com Micron Technology chairman Steve Appleton told employees in an e-mail last week that he will forego his salary starting Oct. 28 for as long as the company continues to lose money. Details of the e-mail surfaced this week and were confirmed by a Micron spokesman. In addition Micron is cutting salaries as much as 10% for all employees earning more than $60,000 annually, and an additional 10% pay cut for key executives. Employees earning less than $60,000 a year will not be affected. In his e-mail Appleton said the salary reductions are being made to try to avoid any layoffs. He said the chip maker has no immediate plans for any layoffs of its worldwide workforce. In documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Micron listed Appleton's salary in its fiscal year ending Aug. 31, 2001 as $784,000 plus bonuses and stock options. In other cost-cutting measures, Micron said it plans to take extended holidays during the Christmas holidays, including some unpaid time off for employees. Non-essential business travel is further reduced.

To: Rich1 who wrote (79341)	10/24/2001 11:40:51 AM
From: Don Green	Respond to of 93625

Linux for PlayStation2 to go global By CNET News.com Staff, News.com October 23, 2001 10:42 AM PT URL: zdnet.com By Matthew Broersma Sony Computer Entertainment announced it will release a Linux-enabled version of its PlayStation 2 video game console for worldwide release following a Japanese launch over the summer. SCEI's chief technical officer, Shin'ichi Okamoto, said at a presentation at the Rambus Developer Forum in San Jose, Calif., that the company was planning to make an announcement about a "worldwide" version of the kit "soon," although he did not give a release date. Sony launched Linux for the PS2 in Japan in June, in response to customer demand, but that kit only operates on Japanese machines. At the conference, Sony demonstrated several Linux applications running on the console. The Linux operating system has gained wide support among software developers because its source code is available and can be freely altered. It is seen as a competitor to Microsoft's Windows in several markets including servers and ultimately the desktop. Sony conducted a poll earlier this year to gauge Linux interest among American PlayStation 2 owners.

To: Rich1 who wrote (79341)	10/28/2001 8:01:18 PM
From: Don Green	Respond to of 93625

WTO Dumping Clash Looms By Steven Fyffe, Electronic News -- 10/26/2001 11:18:00 AM Electronic News Japan and the U.S. build cases against Korean DRAM makers As the World Trade Organization (WTO) prepares for its historic ministerial meeting in the Middle East next month, Japanese and American DRAM makers are complaining to trade representatives about their Korean competitors. A consortium of Japanese companies is laying the groundwork for an anti-dumping lawsuit against Seoul, South Korea-based Samsung Electronics Industries Co. Ltd. and Hynix Semiconductor Inc., formerly Hyundai Electronics Industries Co. Ltd. The Japanese Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association (JEITA) has formed a working group to investigate claims that Korean companies are selling DRAM in Japan for less than it costs to make them. Hitachi, NEC, Elpida, Toshiba and Mitsubishi are all members of JEITA. According to a statement from Toshiba Corp., JEITA is considering two actions. One is an anti-dumping petition against South Korean DRAM manufacturers. The other option is to file a legal challenge at the WTO-level against the South Korean government for artificially propping up Hynix with loans from banks with close government ties. A spokesman for Micron Technology Inc. said the office of U.S. trade official Robert Zoellick has been investigating Hynix’s financing since August. “They are looking into what has been done to keep this company afloat,” the Micron spokesman said. “The (South Korean) government is helping prop up a company that should be out of business.” A Hynix executive said JEITA and Micron would have a hard time making a case against South Korea. “Japanese companies will be hard pressed to prove this because they have not been damaged and they are doing the same thing,” said Farhad Tabrizi, vice president of worldwide memory marketing at Hynix. “Even Micron has not really lost market share. It is hard to prove how the other companies have caused damages to you when you are gaining market share.” When DRAM prices drop dramatically, companies seeking any competitive advantage they can get in a tough global market often file anti-dumping actions in their home country. “It is standard practice,” Tabrizi said. “When the market goes down, people think about filing anti-dumping lawsuits. The real problem is lack of demand.” Hynix blames Samsung’s determination to claim the top spot in the DRAM market for the current glut of parts that is pulling prices down. “If anybody is to blame, it is Samsung,” Tabrizi said. “They want to achieve No. 1 status, no matter what the price. “They are continuing to increase capacity during this oversupply situation. If anybody is to blame for the market conditions, it is not Hynix, it is Samsung,” he said. “We have removed capacity. We have acted responsibly. We have not gained market share. “They have single-handedly caused the oversupply by acting very irresponsibly,” Tabrizi said Samsung makes no apologies for its aggressive approach to capital spending. “(Tabrizi) is suggesting it is reckless,” said Tom Quinn, vice president of marketing for Samsung in the United States. “I don’t necessarily agree. Our strategy is simple. We want to deliver advanced technology to the marketplace in volume ahead of our competition.” Samsung is on target to sell the most bits and make the most money in the DRAM industry for 2001, with Micron running a close second, Quinn said. Another Samsung spokesperson questioned Hynix’s math. “The numbers don’t add up,” he said. “If we only lost $300 million, how can we be selling huge amounts of product at below cost? We are selling consistently at a higher ASP than anybody else.” Samsung’s Semiconductor division posted a loss of around $300 million last quarter, whereas Hynix had a net loss of $1.24 billion for the third quarter, its biggest loss ever. And Boise, Idaho-based Micron reported a net loss of $576 million. Steven Appleton, Micron’s chief executive officer, has agreed to forgo his $784,000 annual salary until market conditions improve. Everyone else at Micron who makes more than $60,000 a year is taking a 10 percent pay cut. The entire DRAM market is caught up in a destructive competitive cycle, said Jim Sogas, vice president of sales for Elpida U.S.A. “Nobody want to lose their position,” Sogas said. “Everybody has their particular market share and nobody wants to back off. “Cost per unit goes up when factories are under-utilized, so there’s a lot of pressure to keep producing. It’s a pretty unhealthy environment.” The current market malaise is forcing everybody to cut prices, Quinn said. “In the end, prices are set by the market and you have to be at or around the price to sell your product

To: Rich1 who wrote (79341)	10/29/2001 12:44:36 PM
From: Don Green	Respond to of 93625

Tanisys Technology to Showcase Solutions that Lower the Cost of Test for Memory Providers at ITC 2001 Story Filed: Monday, October 29, 2001 10:50 AM EST AUSTIN, Texas, Oct 29, 2001 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Tanisys Technology Inc. (OTCBB:TNIS) ("Tanisys"), will be displaying the only complete portfolio of low-cost, high-capability test systems for memory modules at the ITC show at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore, Md., booth No. 2114. Sold under the DarkHorse brand name, the systems address the full suite of memory technologies, including DDR-333, SDRAM-166, Rambus(R) DRAM and Flash memory. "We are excited to be showcasing our solutions that focus on lowering the cost of test," commented Richard Brook, President and CEO of Tanisys. "The DarkHorse product line most definitely offers the best price/performance offering in the test industry. Companies providing memory products are aggressively looking to drive out cost. Our systems allow them to minimize cost of test while maintaining world-class quality standards." The newest system displayed will be the Model 400 running at 333MHz, testing the latest DDR modules. The system offers true at-speed testing in a multi-site platform for cost-effective, comprehensive memory module testing. Pre-defined test algorithms are offered in an open source code environment, allowing test engineers to modify testing to fit their particular needs. The model 400 is also available in a single-site version. In addition to the traditional DRAM line, Tanisys will introduce the Model 500 test system for SD & MMC card test. This system offers flash card manufacturers a very low-cost, feature-rich system that can be used for both engineering and production purposes. This card-test system is built on the flexible Model 500 platform that is used for device-level Flash test in addition to flash card testing. Finally, the Model 500 Flash test system will be shown, accentuating the new Distributed Network Architecture (DNA) which sets a new standard for massively parallel test for Flash memories. DNA allows for more parallel testing than any solution in the industry, driving cost of test to levels never seen before on traditional ATE.

To: Rich1 who wrote (79341)	10/29/2001 2:54:33 PM
From: Don Green	Respond to of 93625

Samsung aims to become second-largest chip maker By Kim Miyoung , Reuters Oct 29, 2001 (9:32 AM) URL: /story/OEG20011029S0041 SEOUL -- South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, the world's fourth-largest chipmaker, aims to rank second by the end of 2005 and raise its share of the global memory chip market to 30 percent. Samsung, already the largest memory chip maker, is selling 40 percent of its chips for below production cost, reflecting a record downturn in the global chip market. Still, Korea's top big-cap share expects growth in non-PC sectors such as consumer electronics and network systems. ``So far the computer sector has mainly led the chip sector, which is the reason why some were pessimistic that the chip industry is now in a declining phase in line with slumping PCs,'' Hwang Chang-gyu, president of Samsung's memory chip division, told reporters on Monday. ``But we expect growth in consumer electronics, communications and digital media sectors,'' Hwang said. ``This will help the semiconductor industry remain as the core technology of the IT industry.'' Samsung has trimmed output of dynamic random access memory (DRAM) chips used for PCs and boosted production of non-DRAM chips such as flash memory chips and SRAM used mostly used in mobile phones and network servers. ``SRAM and flash memory chips will account for 50 percent of our memory chip unit by 2005 and the commodity DRAM portion will fall to 25 percent,'' said Hwang. Samsung said it was targeting $20 billion in sales of memory chips by 2005 or 30 percent of market share -- up from 17 percent in 2000. Analysts said the 30 percent target was realistic but questioned the sales target. ``Given that the current memory market is worth $20 billion to $30 billion, Samsung's sales target of $20 billion with a 30 percent market share sounds too optimistic,'' said Simon Woo, chip analyst at Hyundai Securities. ``I don't expect the market will grow so dramatically by 2005 and there are too many unpredictable factors to consider,'' he said. Market researcher Gartner Dataquest has forecast a 67 percent contraction in the global DRAM chip market this year and an additional 19 percent fall next year. One strategy Samsung and others plan to use to cut production costs and boost productivity is migration to 12-inch wafers to mass produce chips. ``We are ready to mass produce chips by using 12-inch wafers and adopting an industry-competitive 0.12 micron,'' Samsung's Hwang said. ``That will help us to lower costs and capitalize on price recovery, which is expected to emerge in late 2002.'' Micron is the measure of the distance between wires used to form a circuit on a computer chip. Currently Samsung produces chips using mostly 0.15 micron technology. Shares in Samsung were up 3,000 won, or 1.7 percent, to close at 184,000 won ($142.4), outperforming a 0.82 percent rise in the benchmark index Samsung said chip demand was slowly picking up, led by computer makers. It expected its various products would help it cushion losses stemming from plunging DRAM spot prices in the fourth quarter. ``We have diversified chip products including DDR (double data rate) DRAM and Rambus DRAM,'' said Hwang. Such products command higher prices than commodity chips and demand for them is expected to rise with PC demand in the wake of Microsoft Corp's new operating system, Windows XP. ``Windows XP will require 256 megabit chips and that will boost our revenues as we have a higher portion of 256MB chips compared to other rivals such as Micron Technologies Inc of the United States,'' said Hwang. Samsung repeated its earlier position that it was not interested in merging its chip business with Toshiba Corp of Japan, the world's sixth-ranked DRAM maker and top flash memory chipmaker. ``We already have the largest market share of NAND flash memory chips,'' Chu Woo-sik, vice president of Samsung's investors relations team, told Reuters, referring to a cutting-edge technology developed by Toshiba Corp. ``And merging flash unit with Toshiba means controlling nearly all the flash market, which will have more negatives than any synergistic effects,'' he said.

To: Rich1 who wrote (79341)	10/29/2001 3:01:00 PM
From: Don Green	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 93625

Next-Generation Personal Computers Coming into Sight October 29, 2001 (TOKYO) -- Personal computers are on the road toward higher-performance specifications with very different types of CPUs, buses and memories to be implemented in the coming years. In summary, in the next-generation PCs, new CPUs will be equipped with a virtual processor function, and the PCI bus will be replaced with a higher-speed serial interface. As for the memory, they will also see major changes, with the introduction of DDR SDRAMs in place of the current diffusion type of SDRAM. Today, few PCs provided by major makers are equipped with DDR memory. However, chances are high for DDR to become the mainstream of next-generation memory, because Intel has decided to support DDR memories. The two types, PC2100 and PC1600, are apparent candidates that will support DDR-enabled i845 CPU coming on the market in 2002. The PC2100 type features a data transfer speed at 2.1GB per second, which is faster than the speed of Rambus memory at 1.6GB per second. However, because DDR is used as an add-on memory in terms of single units, its total performance falls short of that of using Rambus memory which would reach 3.2GB per second. Therefore, it is highly possible that DDR-enabled i845 cannot surpass the performance of i850. Consequently, Rambus memory will be applied to high-end machines, and DDR to mid-range and low-end machines. Roadmaps for DDR and Rambus nikkeibp.asiabiztech.com