Another manufacturer is expected to start producing Pentium 4 chipsets that will use Rambus memory, a development that could help revive support within the industry for the memory standard.
A chipset maker is in the final stages of negotiating a deal that will allow the company to manufacture a chipset that links a Pentium 4 processor with Rambus-based RDRAM memory, according to several industry sources. The announcement is expected to take place within the next two weeks.
If another manufacturer comes out with a Rambus chipset, it would likely be seen as a shot in the arm for controversial chip designer Rambus. The chipset connects a PC"s processor with other components, such as memory.
RDRAM is currently the only memory that comes inside of Pentium 4 computers. Although it provides a performance boost, RDRAM is also more expensive than regular memory, making customers reluctant to embrace it. In addition, PC makers are skittish; in 1999 and 2000, they were stung by problems with a Pentium III-Rambus chipset.