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After having slid lately, contract prices for 2GB DDR3 modules are likely to be further dragged down by continued weak end-market demand, according to sources at DRAM makers. Contract quotes for mainstream DRAM modules may trend down to near US$20 by the end of 2010, driving the price of 1Gb DDR3 chips to almost US$1 close to the "break point" for Taiwan-based providers, the sources indicated.

Late October contract prices for 1Gb DDR3 chips plunged to average US$1.53, with quotes in the low range falling below the US$1.50 mark. For 2GB modules, quotes were in the US$26-27 range, down 10-15% sequentially.

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Crucial(R) Ballistix(TM). Yes, you heard right! Crucial, the company you’ve always relied on for high-quality, stable memory, is now offering DDR and DDR2 modules made just for enthusiasts! You’ve never seen higher speeds or lower latencies from Crucial--ever. And for the first time in Crucial’s history, each module comes with a double-sided aluminum heat spreader. No, that is not a type-o, I said "heat spreader"!

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The device runs at twice the speed at half the power of current solutions, the company said. The technology can provide an aggregate bandwidth of 6.4GB/s per device, achieved with a 1.6GB/s per pin data rate.

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While global contract prices for DRAM show no signs of recovery, the price of 256Mbit DDR has seen temporary support at US$3, as several leading DRAM makers maintain a bias towards holding inventory rather than selling at a loss. However, DRAM prices are unlikely to recover in the near term due to the traditional second-quarter weakness in the IT sector and the potential repercussions of SARS on IT demand, market participants said.

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Elpida submitted its 512 Mit DDR2 Unbuffered DIMM module dubbed EBE51UD8ABFA-5C to Intel Corp. to test it in a real prototype system. "The DDR2 DRAM actually operated at 533 Mbits/s with a 1.8V power supply in the Intel machine," said an Elpida spokeswoman.

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ProMOS Technologies announced today that it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Japanese DRAM maker Elpida Memory for development of 0.1-micron and below DRAM production technologies, according to a filing with the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TSE). The deal also includes a product purchase and capacity allocation agreement, ProMOS said.

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Squeezing more memory into tight spaces is crucial the the success of the flash-memory industry. Demand for flash memory, used to store data and code in cell phones and other consumer devices, is growing dramatically. The amount of flash in some phones has more than doubled within a year. Shrinking the size of chips, however, is getting harder. Clever packaging effectively allows semiconductor manufacturers to accommodate the demand for memory without putting too much stress on their manufacturing plants.

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The nanocrystal layer is far thinner than the silicon dioxide, Chang said. In fact, it's not even solid, and more like frost on a window. Although silicon is traditionally an electrical conductor, at these levels the quantum nature of the material takes over, and it becomes an insulator, trapping electrons and thereby retaining data.

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Flash memory--the chip technology used to store data and applications inside cell phones, industrial equipment and portable memory cards--is facing a growing crisis, say engineers, analysts and semiconductor executives. Although demand is strong, it will become increasingly difficult to shrink flash memory chips after 2005.And if flash chips can't shrink, profits likely will. As a result, companies are experimenting with new materials and semiconductor designs that could enhance or eventually displace one of the weirdest semiconductors ever produced.

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DDR-II delivers twice the external bandwidth of a standard DDR solution for the same internal frequency. The 1.8-volt device features a high-speed data transfer rate of 533Mbps that can be extended to 667Mbps for networks and special system environments.

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Rambus has developed two technologies for memory and system bus interfaces. The memory interface, known as "Yellowstone," allows data rates of up to 3.2GHz, which is much faster than conventional DDR (dual data rate) memory technology, according to Rambus. Rambus' forthcoming processor bus, known as "Redwood," is a high-speed parallel interface that delivers data to various integrated circuits on a processor.

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Expected to be announced at next month's Consumer Electronics Show, the new Memory Stick uses a different architecture to achieve higher capacities than the original card, sources said. Current Memory Stick cards top out at 128MB, but the new cards will come in 256MB, 512MB and 1GB capacities.

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"Kingston responded to increasing requests from the enthusiast market for a line of high-performance memory modules, exclusively tailored for those consumers who tweak their systems thereby pushing them to the limit. HyperX modules are designed for consumers who like to maximize the performance of their systems to allow for the optimization of memory parameters. With HyperX memory modules, gamers and PC enthusiasts can take full advantage of their system's performance with the increased performance provided by the Kingston HyperX modules."