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To: AK2004 who wrote (156664)	1/24/2002 2:56:41 AM
From: Paul Engel	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 186894

From the AMD Platform conference: Rambus demos 1.2-GHz RDRAM memory in PC at conference By Jack Robertson, EBN Jan 23, 2002 (9:32 AM) URL: siliconstrategies.com Rambus Inc. on Wednesday said the demise of the four-bank Direct RDRAM is not a problem, because prices of the once-high premium RDRAM memory chip have now dropped to parity withthe rival DDR devices. Frank Fox, vice president and general manager of RDRAM Solutions Division, said the four-bank chip was originally designed to be a lower cost version to make Direct Rambus more competitive. "It is no longer needed now because RDRAM prices have dropped to the competitive levels where the four-bank version was originally targeted," he told EBN. He cited PriceWatch listings this week that showed the 800-MHz 128-Megabit RDRAM selling at $3.40, compared with a 128-Mbit 266-MHz DDR at $3.30. "We feel very good that from now on RDRAM will be very price competitive with DDR. Pricing will no longer be an obstacle," he claimed. He said 1.066-GHz RDRAM "short channel" chips -- those going into applications using up to four devices -- are already in production at Samsung Electronics. He expected a "long channel" 1.066-GHz version going into 8-chip RIMMs would be in production later this year. Rambus also plans later this year to introduce double channel RIMMs with 16 RDRAM chips providing 4.2-Gigabyte/sec bandwidth. In the future a quad channel RIMM with 32 devices will be developed. Also on the roadmap is a 1.2-GHz RDRAM chip. Asked if the higher frequencies were the result of RDRAM die shrinks due to 0.15-micron and 0.13-micron processing, Fox referred the question to memory chip makers. However, he said no redesign of the chip is needed, and all frequency ranges are compatible. Fox said the 1.066-GHz RDRAM will increase the chip's performance for the highly competitive networking market when it becomes available. Rambus, in fact, demonstrated the first PC running 1.2-GHz RDRAM memory at the Platform Conference in San Jose. It was not an AthWiper-based PC, according to Rambus sources. The company said an "overclocked" PC with Rambus DRAM will have peak bandwidth of 9.6-gigabits per second while running popular benchmarks to show performance and reliability. The Los Altos-based memory technology supplier said its RDRAM roadmap now includes speed grades for 1,066-MHz and 1,200-MHz memories, without changes in chip design or manufacturing industry infrastructure. In fact, Rambus said the 1,200-MHz (1.2-GHz) memories used in today's demonstration were made in a high-volume wafer fab that's now producing 800-MHz RDRAM products. The chip maker and process technology were not initially identified by Rambus. However, Samsung Semiconductor Inc. today said its next-generation RDRAM devices were yielding significant quantities of 1,200-MHz memories in addition to significant volumes of 1,066-MHz chips. Samples of the 1.2-GHz parts are being supplied to Rambus (see story ). In an interview with SBN, Fox said the 1200-MHz RDRAMs will provide a superior solution over competitive parts, namely double-data-rate (DDR) SDRAMs. The new RDRAMs will "allow us to quadruple the module bandwidth," he said. "This will keep us way ahead of DDR," he said. "We have a lot of headroom," he said. "It also demonstrates the ease of use on our roadmap." At present, Rambus is shipping 800-MHz RDRAMs. The company is sampling the 1066-MHz RDRAMs right now, with the new 1200-MHz parts due out in 2003, Fox said. SBN, a sister site of EBN, contributed to this report Copyright 2001 © CMP Media Inc.