Rambus has announced a component validation programme, designed to smooth the transition to Direct Rambus memory systems next year. Standard procedures required for verification in the new system will make it easier for customers to integrate the new products, Rambus said. Validation procedures are being established for all the major components of a Direct Rambus memory system, which are the Direct RDRAMs devices, RIMM modules, RIMM connectors and clock components. "Shorter product life cycles force vendors to debug, test and qualify components in ever-decreasing amounts of time, said Nathan Brookwood, PC semiconductor analyst at Dataquest. "The Rambus Validation programme provides an excellent example of how vendors can innovate in the design of their products, and in the way they test and ensure interoperability of their offerings." OEMs and component suppliers have been quick to show support of the programme. "Moving to higher speed technology can be a challenge," Jan Janick, VP of desktop development and systems at IBM. "Knowing that the components are validated to work to the system specification will shorten our system integration cycle and ensure a high level of quality to our end users." Rambus says that Direct Rambus technology will enable the DRAM industry's highest level of performance to date, providing 1.6 gigabytes per second of peak bandwidth from a single device. It will also span multiple generations of DRAM devices, through 1-gigabit densities. More product info is available from Rambus' home page.®