X-bit labs

ATI, Qimonda Prep DDR3 Mobile Platform in 2007.

Category: Memory

by Anton Shilov

[ 06/30/2006 | 11:13 PM ]

Qimonda AG, a major dynamic random access memory (DRAM) supplier, on Friday announced that it has supplied the industry’s first DDR3 SO-DIMM samples to ATI Technologies. The latter, according to the statement, is currently developing a DDR3-supporting platform due in 2007.

“The first notebook PCs equipped with Qimonda DDR3 SO-DIMM memory technology are expected to be available in 2007,” the Munich, Germany-based memory supplier said in the statement.

Qimonda’s 512MB SO-DIMMs are based on 800MHz or 1067MHz 512Mb memory chips developed by Nanya Technology and Qimonda in cooperation. In addition to micro-architectural advantages DDR2 memory brings over the original DDR memory, such as, On-Die Termination (ODT) as well as larger 4-bit prefetch, additive latency, and enhanced registers, the DDR3 features self-driver calibration and data synchronization functionality to allow higher clock-speeds.

Intel is projected to support DDR3 memory in the second half of 2007 and usually Intel is significantly ahead of the whole industry with its memory support. There have been rumours, however, that ATI Technologies may introduce its DDR3-supporting core-logic even ahead of the market leader Intel Corp.

DRAMeXchange predicts that DDR3 production ratio will climb to 30% of the overall DRAM production in 2008 and expects DDR3 DRAM products to replace their predecessor DDR2 as the main volume product in 2009.