Elpida debuts 4.8GHz XDR memory

Posted on Saturday, October 06 2007 @ 3:02 CEST by Thomas De Maesschalck
Elpida introduced the industry's fastest DRAM, the 512 Megabit (Mb), 4.8GHz XDR DRAM, based on Rambus' XDR memory architecture. This latest addition to the XDR DRAM family provides an industry-leading data transfer rate of 9.6 Gigabytes per second (GB/s) with a single device, making it an ideal choice for high-performance, high-volume applications such as high-definition televisions (HDTV), gaming consoles, PCs, servers and workstations.

Elpida's 512Mb, 4.8GHz XDR DRAM (Part number: EDX5116ADSE-5E-E) device is organized in 8-banks (x16/x8/x4 programmable), and with a 9.6GB/s data transfer rate delivers six times the peak bandwidth of industry-standard DDR2-800 memory devices. The 4.8GHz XDR device is manufactured using Elpida's 70 nm process technology and is available in a 104-ball FBGA package. To support both high-speed and robust data transfer, XDR DRAM utilizes key enabling technologies built on patented Rambus innovations such as Differential Rambus Signaling Level (DRSL), which minimizes signal swing and noise; Octal Data Rate (ODR) technology which transfers eight bits of data on each clock cycle to achieve 4.8GHz operation with just a 600MHz clock; and FlexPhaseâ„¢ circuit technology for precise on-chip data alignment with the clock. The 512Mb XDR DRAM device also features adaptive impedance matching, dynamic request scheduling and zero overhead refresh.

XDR DRAM is an integral part of the XDR memory architecture, working seamlessly with the XDR Memory Controller (XMC), XDR IO controller interface cell (XIO), and the XDR Clock Generator (XCG) to enable unprecedented levels of memory performance while utilizing the fewest number of ICs. A single XDR DRAM device operating in x16 mode achieves a data transfer rate of 9.6GB/s. In comparison, it requires six DDR2-800 x16 devices to achieve an equivalent data rate.

Elpida's 512Mb 4.8GHz XDR DRAM devices will be available for sampling in December 2007.


About the Author

Thomas De Maesschalck

Thomas has been messing with computer since early childhood and firmly believes the Internet is the best thing since sliced bread. Enjoys playing with new tech, is fascinated by science, and passionate about financial markets. When not behind a computer, he can be found with running shoes on or lifting heavy weights in the weight room.



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