Dramurai licks its lips over Intella's DDR chipset

But with the Dramurai gearing up for the boost in demand by ramping up production of the much-vaunted memory chips, oversupply is once again a possibility in the coming months - once the shortage is overcome…

Nanya is currently leading the Dramurai pack, producing between 16-20 million units per month, but Samsung is poised to almost double its DDR output from its 14 million-unit level this month. Hynix is seeking to boost its monthly production from 10 to 15 million units, while others, including Hynix would-be bedfellows Micron, also claim to be ramping up production.

Dataquest forecasts that DDR DRAM's market share will increase from 9.7 per cent in this year's third quarter , to 29.2 per cent in the first quarter of 2002.

Intel's DDR supporting chipset is priced closely to its SDRAM-based 845A3, which systems builders are likely to be clearing from their inventories over the coming weeks while they prepare for the DDR onslaught.

Meanwhile, motherboard manufacturers reluctant to adopt VIA's 'unlicensed' Pentium 4 DDR chip set are expected to embrace Intel's own version, while consumer demand, buoyed by a positive press and a option by which punters can avoid the expensive Rambus route, all point towards high demand for the DDR/Pentium 4 combination.

The 845B0 (i845D) will hit the market on December 16, Taiwanese sources suggest. µ