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Hynix to ship ‘first’ 1Gb DDR II chip during Q1 2004

Sampling in Q4

Hynix has just put the finishing touches on what it claims is the industry's first 1Gb DDR II chip.

Easy to say, of course, since the part won't be available until Q4, and then only in sample quantities. Full-scale production is not due until early next year when, Hynix says, Intel will release its "DDR II chipset".

That's a reference to Intel's Lindenhurst and Twin Castle chipsets, both designed for Xeon chips due early 2004. Lindenhurst will support the 90nm Xeon for single-CPU systems, codenamed 'Nocona', while Twin Castle will use 90nm Xeon MPs codenamed 'Potomac'. Both are likely to be based on Intel's Prescott core, the next generation of Pentium chip. Potomac is currently being touted as the first 64-bit x86 Intel chip, courtesy of AMD64-style technology.

Meanwhile, Hynix's DDR II part will be fabbed at 110nm using the same 'Golden Chip' process is uses to produce its 512Mb DDR II parts. Touting 'Golden Chip', Hynix said the system leverages existing investment in chip-making kit, reducing the cost of moving from (presumably) 130nm to 110nm by 50 per cent over rival processes while increasing the number of die per wafer by 40 per cent.

In short, Hynix can make high-capacity DDR II chips cheaper than other manufacturers, or so the company claims.

It may have Elpida in mind. That company received $100 million from Intel earlier this year to boost its investment in DDR II production. ®

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