Samsung ramps up Rambus volumes

Samsung has set its stall on grabbing 60 per cent of the world's Rambus memory market this year, after saying it's the first company to begin mass-producing RDRAM chips. The Korean vendor estimated its huge slice of the Rambus cake would draw up to $250 million in sales, rising to $2 billion in the year 2000, according to Korean daily Maeil Business Newspaper. Samsung, which developed Rambus DRAMs six months before its rivals, will use its Rambus chips for 3D graphics products and use an 0.10 micron design rule. Earlier this year, Intel invested $100 million in the Korean chip giant, on the condition that Samsung used the money to ramp up production of Rambus Direct DRAM. Last October Intel also invested $500 million in Micron Technology for similar purposes. ®