According to several sources from JEDEC committee, the association is now considering the DDR II “look alike” standard for graphics cards. We told you back in early September (see this news-story) that both ATI and NVIDIA are ready to adopt this type of memory on their graphics cards by the end of the year or even earlier.

Currently JEDEC drafts the standard for the DDR-II platforms, including memory modules, chipsets, mainboards and all the other system-level specifications. Since graphics card is practically a separate systems, they do not need mainboard or module specifications to be officially declared by JEDEC. There should be one standard of memory and actual products available for purchase by graphics cards manufacturers. At the moment, there is no one standard of DDR-II for graphics cards, but it is strongly needed to eliminate any of the small proprietary twists memory suppliers now try to add to their DDR-II chips to lock in customers, as stated at Silicon Strategies.

Although there were some presentations of proposed “DDR-II for graphics” standards at JEDEC’s September meetings, sources doubt that everything with such “look alike” type of memory will be finalised before the end of the year, hence, graphics cards makers can only start to introduce their DDR-II supporting products in early 2003.

Presently Samsung, Elpida and Infineon have started sampling their DDR-II products with their clock-speeds varying from 400 (800) to 500 (1000)MHz. Mass production is set to start in the first quarter 2003.

According to the original documents on the NV30 I have seen this Spring, NVIDIA wanted to adopt DDR-II for the NV30 based graphics cards. It now seems that the Santa Clara based company will not be able to fulfil this desire. In fact, ATI has also developed DDR-II memory controller, now they wait for the standard to be approved by JEDEC.