US memory maker Micron today took the wraps of what it claimed is the world's first 1Gb DDR 3 chip well ahead of full-scale production of the part, which the company said will begin "early next year". In the same timeframe, Micron will sample a 2Gb chip, it added.

The chip maker said the 78nm part will clock between 400MHz and 800MHz for an effective data transfer rate equivalent to 800-1,600MHz. The chips are set to 1.5V, down from DDR 2's 1.8V. When they ship, the memory chips will be "fully compliant" with the latest JEDEC DDR 3 specification, Micron said.

The memory should arrive in plenty of time for Intel's 'Bearlake' chipset, which is expected to gain DDR 3 support in Q3 2007, industry insiders have claimed. AMD's next-generation CPU architecture, dubbed K8L, is also expected to support DDR 3, anticipated to appear late next year. ®