Rambus
Short for Rambus Direct Random Access Memory DRAM, a type of memory developed by Rambus, Inc. Whereas the fastest current memory technologies used by PCs (SDRAM) could deliver data at a maximum speed of about 100 MHz, RDRAM transferred data at up to 800 MHz. Recently Double Data Rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM) has been introduced, which doubles the speed of conventional SDRAM, yet is not as fast as RDRAM.
In 1997, Intel announced that it would license the Rambus technology for use on its future motherboards, thus making it the likely de facto standard for memory architectures. However, a consortium of computer vendors is working on an alternative memory architecture called SyncLink DRAM (SLDRAM).
RDRAM is already being used in place of VRAM in some graphics accelerator boards. As of late 1999, Intel has been using RDRAM in its Pentium III Xeon processors and more recently in its Pentium 4 processors. Intel and Rambus are also working a new version of RDRAM, called nDRAM, that will support data transfer speeds at up to 1,600 MHz.
Rambus is also working on another project, called XDR RAM. This memory type will be the fastest on the planet with transfer speeds of up to 6.4GB/s. It will be used in the upcoming Sony PlayStation 3.
