Elpida Memory, Japan’s leading supplier of DRAM, today announced the formation of its Digital Consumer Division. The new division will focus on the development of a Consumer DRAM product line aimed at supporting low-voltage and advanced packaging options for consumer electronics applications.

Consumer electronics is a growing market that is beginning to take advantage of conventional DRAM technologies. Elpida, who aims to become one of the world’s largest memory vendors with 20% of market share by 2005, tremendously needs emerging and possibly lucrative markets to sell its products in order to achieve maximum efficiency of its manufacturing operations. Consumer electronics (CE) markets do seem to be potentially profitable for semiconductor companies, as those markets do not require cutting-edge technologies and highest performance. Furthermore, the CE market prospects significant growth throughout the next decade.

Elpida's first product release under its Digital Consumer Division is a 128Mb SDRAM component redesigned for consumer products such as DVD players/recorders, video servers and printers.

The firm’s new 128Mb DRAM chips are organized as 8M words x 16-bits and offer 3.3V or 2.5V operation, reducing power consumption by up to 40%, according to Elpida. The devices are made using Elpida’s proven 0.11 micron technology and operate at 133 MHz.

Elpida’s new 128Mb PC133 DRAMs are available now in different flavours, including “bare die” solution suitable for use in System-in-Package (SiP) and/or Multi-Chip Package (MCP), in 54-ball FBGA package (8mm x 8mm) and a JEDEC-standard 54-pin TSOP package for easy replacement of legacy components.