Toshiba Corp. began producing sample memory chips based on Rambus Inc.'s next-generation XDR (extreme data rate) memory technology on Thursday, the Japanese company said the same day.
XDR, which was formerly known by its Yellowstone development code-name, is targeted at high-performance applications such as digital consumer electronics, network systems, game consoles and graphics applications. It runs at a speed of 3.2GHz, which is significantly faster than any memory technology in use today.
Toshiba's first samples are 512M bit DRAM (dynamic RAM) chips and come slightly ahead of schedule. When Rambus announced XDR in July this year it said it expected sample chips to begin rolling off fabrication lines at Toshiba during 2004.
"The sample chips are a little bit early because the development well," said Makoto Yasuda, a spokesman for Toshiba in Tokyo.
Despite the early release of sample chips, Toshiba said its mass production plans remain unchanged at 2005.
Japan's Elpida Memory Inc. is also expected to offer sample XDR chips in 2004.
News source: InfoWorld - Toshiba begins shipping XDR DRAM sample chips
