Tuesday February 17, 6:01 am Eastern Time
Company Press Release
Rambus Completes Direct RDRAM Interface Design
Implementation Package Released Simultaneously to 13 DRAM Partners
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 17, 1998--Rambus Inc. today
announced the completion of the Direct Rambus(TM) DRAM interface design,
and that implementation packages were distributed simultaneously to all
13 Direct Rambus DRAM (Direct RDRAM(TM)) partners.
Direct RDRAM licensees comprise Fujitsu Ltd. [OTC BB:FJTSY - news],
Hitachi Ltd. [NYSE:HIT - news], Hyundai Electronics Industry Co. Ltd.,
IBM Microelectronics, LG Semiconductor Co. Ltd., Micron Technology Inc.
[NYSE:MU - news], Mitsubishi Electric Corp., NEC Corp. [Nasdaq:NIPNY -
news], Oki Electric Industry Co. Ltd., Samsung Electronics Corp.,
Siemens AG [OTC BB:SMAWY - news], and Toshiba Corp.
''We set this schedule in 1996 with Intel and our DRAM partners,'' said
Allen Roberts, vice president and general manager of Rambus Inc.'s
Memory and Technology Division. ''We've been working in parallel with
some of our DRAM partners for almost two years to reach this point.
''During that time, they have been progressing on their proprietary
Direct RDRAM core designs and we have been releasing elements of our
interface design as they have been completed. We're proud to announce
that we've met this critical program milestone and that the Direct
Rambus program remains on track.''
''We are pleased to see Rambus deliver the Direct RDRAM interface design
on schedule,'' said Peter MacWilliams, Intel Fellow and Director of
Platform Architecture. ''This is an important milestone to support the
transition from today's PC100 SDRAM to Direct RDRAM beginning in 1999,
reinforcing that Intel's main memory roadmap is right on track.''
Intel in 1996 disclosed its plan to use Direct Rambus technology for PC
main memory. Volume production of PC main memory devices is planned for
1999. In total, work is progressing at 10 different logic IC companies
on providing Direct Rambus interface logic for computer, communications
and consumer electronics applications.
''This is the start of the Rambus-PC era,'' said Jim Handy, director and
principal analyst of Dataquest's Memories Worldwide Service. ''Intel has
expressed their intent to use Rambus for future PC generations and with
the release of this specification, DRAM manufacturers can now proceed
with the part that Intel wants. The role Rambus has taken assures OEMs
that they can change DRAM suppliers without having to worry whether or
not their memory systems will still work.''
The Direct RDRAM implementation package helps DRAM makers integrate the
standard Direct Rambus interface design with their proprietary memory
cores. The package includes complete schematics, a transistor netlist,
layout, behavioral models, process-independent timing analysis, package
information, test criteria and test vectors for the interface design as
well as a core-interface specification.
The most aggressive Direct RDRAM partners could have first silicon for
evaluation within the next few months.
''By releasing a standard design simultaneously to all 13 DRAM
companies, Direct RDRAMs from different suppliers will all be similar,
eliminating compatibility problems,'' said Steve Cullen, senior DRAM
analyst at InStat Inc. ''This strategy goes a long way to smoothing the
transition to this new memory technology.''
Developed in conjunction with Intel Corp. [Nasdaq:INTC - news] and in
cooperation with DRAM and other semiconductor partners, Direct Rambus
technology will enable the DRAM industry's highest level of performance
to date -- 1.6 gigabytes per second of peak bandwidth from a single
device -- and will span multiple generations of DRAM devices (through
1-gigabit densities). The Direct Rambus interface achieves its
unprecedented performance through electrical and architectural
extensions to currently available Rambus technology.
Like existing Rambus technology currently shipping in PCs, consumer
electronics and communications systems, the Direct Rambus technology
will support high system performance at low system costs. Direct RDRAM
devices use conventional DRAM cores, silicon fabrication techniques and
memory modules.
Direct Rambus memory modules, called RIMMTM modules, use standard
industry assemblies similar to those of today's dual in-line memory
modules. For PC main memory, a Direct Rambus memory system will fit
within the same physical, power and thermal profiles of a similarly
configured 100-MHz synchronous DRAM memory system.
Direct Rambus technology is gaining broad support from the PC
main-memory industry. Last September, 18 companies representing the
leaders in system-memory implementation products -- including memory
modules, connectors, clock chips and test systems -- announced their
intention to support Direct Rambus technology. Planned applications
include computer system memory, multimedia and graphics memory,
communications system memory, and consumer electronics memory.
Rambus Inc. (NASDAQ:RMBS - news), based in Mountain View, develops and
licenses high-speed chip-to-chip communications technology that enables
semiconductor memory devices to keep pace with faster generations of
processors and controllers. Providers of Rambus-based integrated
circuits include the world's leading DRAM, ASIC and PC controller
manufacturers.
Even while delivering higher performance, Rambus technology enables low
pin-count, high-bandwidth components to use conventional integrated
circuit fab processing, packaging and printed circuit-board designs; the
result is low-cost, compact systems. Currently, eight of the world's top
10 semiconductor companies license Rambus technology and seven of the
world's top PC makers ship systems using the technology.
More information on Rambus Inc. and its high-bandwidth interface
technology is available at rambus.com.
Note to Editors: Rambus, RDRAM and the Rambus logo are registered
trademarks of Rambus Inc. Direct Rambus and RIMM are trademarks of
Rambus Inc.
This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding the
performance, market acceptance, date of availability and
cost-effectiveness of Direct RDRAM technology and systems incorporating
Direct RDRAM technology. Actual results may differ materially.
Among the factors which could cause actual results to differ materially
are dependence upon the commitment and success of third parties, such as
Intel and Rambus' DRAM partners, in developing and marketing systems
incorporating Rambus technology; rapid technological change in the
markets addressed by Rambus; and the potential development of competing
technologies. |
