Toshiba Corporation announced that it had started to sample 512Mb XDR DRAMs with a data transfer speed of 3.20GHz – the world’s fastest speed of any memory device. Sampling of XDR memory represents the first silicon implementation of the new technologies developed by Rambus.

The XDR DRAM is based on Rambus’s XDR memory interface technology and offers Octal Data Rate, which transfer 8 data per one clock cycle and offers 8 times the bandwidth of today's best-in-class PC memory.

Toshiba today made available samples of three versions of the new ultra high performance memory, TC59YM916AMG32A, TC59YM916AMG32B, TC59YM916AMG32C.

“Toshiba has been playing a leadership role in realizing XDR DRAM technology,” said Shozo Saito, Technology Executive of Semiconductor Company at Toshiba Corporation.

“In October 2002, we were first to license Rambus’ most advanced technologies, and we have promoted their development ever since. Our efforts have borne fruit, as we are first in the world to sample XDR DRAM, and do so well ahead of our original schedule. The start of sample shipments of first generation XDR DRAM is a significant step to supply high-performance products for our customers. We aim for mass production in 2005, and to secure our leading position in this business area.”

Toshiba’s XDR memory chips are configured as 4Mb word x 8 banks x 16 bits, are available with 40ns, 50ns and 60ns cycle time and 27ns or 35ns latency and have 1.8V VDD.