by Anna Filatova
04/09/2002 | 10:47 PM
The situation around DDR400 memory has become very interesting recently. Let me remind you that the problem about this standard is that DDR400 is almost the maximum of the DDR-I potential. This way the production of DDR400 memory modules faces some problems, which reduces the production opportunities and increases the costs. Therefore, there appeared two camps: the supporters of DDR400 and those companies, which consider DDR400 based on DDR I standard to be uncompetitive solution.
In the first group we could list Samsung and Micron, which have already started shipping DDr400 module samples and two largest Taiwanese chipset developers: VIA and SiS, the first of which has already introduced and the second one is going to introduce chipsets supporting DDR400 in the nearest future. Their opponents are the remaining three memory makers from the Big Five: Hynix, Infineon and Elpida, which said that they saw no reason in producing DDR400 memory modules with the existing technology, and JEDEC, the organization dealing with memory standards adoption. JEDEC calls for the adoption of DDR400 memory modules based on DDR II standard, which should go mass in early 2004 already.<%BANNER[article]%>
At the JEDEX conference, which was carried out not so long ago in Santa Clara, were expressed some diverse opinions about DDR400. The major idea of the adherents of this standard was to recognize DDR400 (DDR I) as a standard since the modules production is already in progress. Their opponents claim that DDR400 will never become mass because of its high cost and practical uselessness.
Of course, we can understand the positions of both sides. The chipset makers want DDR400 to be approved so that their chipsets supporting this memory type could sell better. Samsung and Micron want the approval of DDR400, because these memory modules will be more profitable than the existing ones. And all the other companies failed to design stable DDR400 modules that is why they claim that no one needs this memory type, as they don’t want to give green light to competitors. JEDEC joins the latter, as DDR400 modules are really based on very complex design. Even Micron, which is already shipping the DDR400 modules samples admits that they have to resort to a number of limitations in their production. As a result, the spreading of DDR400, as mass memory type may appear quite questionable.