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Rambus Introduces High-Performance DDR3 Memory Controller Interface Solution for Consumer Electronics

Demonstrates operation at 1866MT/s in low-cost wire bond package

LOS ALTOS, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES – 07/28/2010 – Rambus Inc. (Nasdaq:RMBS), one of the world’s premier technology licensing companies, today announced a high-performance, low-cost DDR3 memory controller interface solution tailored for consumer electronics. Rambus’ DDR3 solution is the first to demonstrate operation in working silicon at a data rate of 1866 megatransfers per second (MT/s) in a low-cost wire bond package. Rambus will demonstrate this technology during the Denali MemCon 2010 conference, at the Hyatt Regency Santa Clara, in Santa Clara, CA. https://www.denali.com/en/memcon/2010

Rambus offers its DDR3 memory controller interface solution to its licensees as a PHY development package (PDP) which allows memory interface designers to customize their DDR3 implementation for their specific application. Rambus’ DDR3 interface solution PDP includes all the necessary building blocks, PHY architecture, schematics, models, generic layout, floor plan, verification IP, implementation documentation, testing documentation, design scripts and simulation files, to ensure design success.

“Our licensees benefit from Rambus’ patented innovations and leading design expertise in a silicon-proven DDR3 interface solution they can customize to their needs,” said Sharon Holt, senior vice president of Licensing and Marketing at Rambus. “This high-performance DDR3 solution tailored for wire bond packaging is ideally suited for a broad range of consumer electronics including next-generation HDTVs, digital set-top boxes and Blu-ray players and recorders.”

The DDR3 interface solution builds on Rambus innovations such as:

  • FlexPhase™ circuits for optimum memory system timing
  • Output driver calibration which supports high data rates and improved system voltage margin
  • On-die termination calibration for improved signaling environment
  • LabStation™ software for rapid bring-up, characterization and validation

Rambus also offers its licensees engineering services such as package design, system board layout, statistically based signal and power integrity analysis, reference guidelines, and bring-up assistance. These services improve time-to-market, support robust operation and high yield in mass production. With over two decades of experience in high-speed design, Rambus is the leader in providing total system solutions for performance memory systems.

About Rambus Inc.

Rambus is one of the world’s premier technology licensing companies. Founded in 1990, the Company specializes in the invention and design of architectures focused on enhancing the end-user experience of electronic systems. Rambus’ patented innovations and breakthrough technologies help industry-leading companies bring superior products to market. Rambus licenses both its world-class patent portfolio, as well as its family of leadership and industry-standard solutions. Headquartered in Los Altos, California, Rambus has regional offices in North Carolina, Ohio, India, Germany, Japan, and Taiwan. Additional information is available at www.rambus.com.

Rambus Reaches 1,000th Patent Milestone

Commitment to innovation yields broad portfolio of patented inventions

LOS ALTOS, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES – 07/15/2010 – Rambus Inc. (Nasdaq:RMBS), one of the world’s premier technology licensing companies, today announced that it has been granted its 1,000th patent. Rambus’ growing patent portfolio includes inventions in the areas of high-performance memory and serial solutions, package layout, system design, and lighting and display technologies.

“Reaching the 1,000th patent mark in our 20th year showcases the results of our long-term commitment to innovation,” said Harold Hughes, president and CEO of Rambus. “Our engineers and scientists have developed foundational technology that furthers our mission of continuously enriching consumers’ experience of electronic systems.”

Rambus innovations are used in virtually all digital electronics products including personal computers, video game consoles, HDTVs and smartphones. With Rambus’ newly formed Lighting and Display Technology division, the Company expands its innovation efforts to include next-generation solutions for general lighting and display applications.

Rambus now has over 1,000 issued patents and over 700 pending applications. The Company’s portfolio includes patents issued by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the patent offices of other nations. For more information, visit http://www.rambus.com/us/technology/innovations/index.html.

About Rambus Inc.

Rambus is one of the world’s premier technology licensing companies. Founded in 1990, the Company specializes in the invention and design of architectures focused on enhancing the end-user experience of electronic systems. Rambus’ patented innovations and breakthrough technologies help industry-leading companies bring superior products to market. Rambus licenses both its world-class patent portfolio, as well as its family of leadership and industry-standard solutions. Headquartered in Los Altos, California, Rambus has regional offices in North Carolina, Ohio, India, Germany, Japan, and Taiwan. Additional information is available at www.rambus.com.

Rambus to Demonstrate the World’s Fastest Mobile Memory Architecture and Innovative Lighting Technologies at Intel Developer Forum in Beijing

BEIJING, CHINA – 04/13/2010

Who: Rambus Inc. (NASDAQ: RMBS)
Where: Intel Developer Forum
China National Convention Center (CNCC)
No. 7 Tianchen East Rd, Chaoyang District
Beijing, China
Booth: #G3
When: April 13-14, 2010

 

Join Rambus Inc. (Nasdaq:RMBS), one of the world’s premier technology licensing companies, at the Intel Developer Forum (IDF) in Beijing. Rambus Fellow Craig Hampel will discuss memory architectures for multi-core computing during a talk on Tuesday, April 13 at 1:00pm in Room 307A at CNCC. In addition, Rambus will showcase live demos of its Mobile XDR™ memory architecture and new lighting technology, including MicroLens™ optical design technology.

Mobile XDR Memory Architecture
Rambus will demonstrate its Mobile XDR memory architecture, the world’s fastest and most power-efficient memory for mobile applications. Capable of achieving data rates of 3.2 to 4.3 Gigabits per second (Gbps) per pin at an unprecedented power efficiency of 2.2 milliwatts per Gigabit per second (mW/Gbps), Mobile XDR memory is ideal for the low-power and high-performance requirements of next-generation smartphones, netbooks, and mobile gaming and multimedia products.

Lighting Technology
Rambus’ MicroLens technology allows designers to achieve efficient uniform brightness in edge-lit LED backlights in a very economical manner. In large format displays such as HDTVs, Rambus’ technology can enable backlights that use fewer or less expensive LEDs than required for conventional edge-lit implementations.

Threaded Module Prototype
Rambus will also showcase its static prototype Threaded Module co-developed in partnership with Kingston Technology. This module is implemented using eight industry-standard DDR3 1333 DRAM devices, showing techniques that can increase data throughput by up to 50% and reduce power consumption by 20% when compared to conventional modules.

About Rambus Inc.

Rambus is one of the world’s premier technology licensing companies. Founded in 1990, the Company specializes in the invention and design of architectures focused on enhancing the end-user experience of computing, communications and consumer electronics applications. Rambus’ patented innovations and breakthrough technologies in the area of high-speed memory architectures and complementary technologies have helped industry-leading chip and system companies bring superior products to market. Rambus’ technology and renowned integration expertise solve some of the most complex chip and system-level interface challenges. Rambus licenses both its world-class patent portfolio as well as its family of leadership and industry-standard interface products. Headquartered in Los Altos, California, Rambus has regional offices in North Carolina, Ohio, India, Germany, Japan, and Taiwan. Additional information is available at www.rambus.com.

Rambus and the Rambus logo are registered trademarks of Rambus Inc. All other trade names are the service marks, trademarks, or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

Rambus Unveils Mobile XDR Memory for Next-Generation Mobile Products

High-bandwidth, low-power and cost-effective solution delivers strong consumer benefits

LOS ALTOS, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES – 02/08/2010 – Rambus Inc. (Nasdaq:RMBS), one of the world’s premier technology licensing companies, today unveiled its Mobile XDR™ memory architecture for next-generation mobile products. Based on innovations from Rambus’ groundbreaking Mobile Memory Initiative introduced last year, Mobile XDR memory offers a high-bandwidth, low-power memory architecture to enable devices that exceed the power and performance targets for next-generation mobile products.

“Future mobile applications demand far higher performance and longer battery life than today’s mobile products can achieve,” said Sharon Holt, senior vice president of Licensing and Marketing at Rambus. “Mobile XDR memory provides the ideal solution for designers to offer leading-edge mobile content in a dramatically lower power and cost-effective manner. Uniquely, the Mobile XDR architecture delivers these benefits in SoC and DRAM devices that can be built with current manufacturing infrastructure reducing both risk and time-to-market.”

The Mobile XDR memory architecture will enable future mobile memory platforms which can achieve throughputs of up to 4.3Gbps per pin with unequaled power efficiency. With this breakthrough performance, SoC platforms can achieve over 17GB/s of memory bandwidth from a single Mobile XDR DRAM device while extending the battery life of many mobile products by more than 30 minutes, when operating under the most power-hungry usage profiles.

The Mobile XDR architecture enables significant cost savings for SoC chips by offering pin-count reduction and a smaller interface. Power reduction is achieved through an aggressive decrease in active power coupled with fast transition times to power-saving modes. This enables system designers to minimize memory subsystem power to increase battery life across a wide range of applications from simple voice transmission to demanding multimedia such as stereoscopic 3D HD video.

Mobile XDR memory architecture uses key innovations from Rambus’ Mobile Memory Initiative:

    • Very Low-Swing Differential Signaling (VLSD): a bi-directional, ground-referenced, differential signaling technology which offers a high-performance, low-power and cost-effective solution for applications requiring extraordinary bandwidth and superior power efficiency.

 

    • FlexClocking™ Architecture: utilizes asymmetric partitioning and places critical calibration and timing circuitry in the SoC interface, greatly simplifying the design of the DRAM interface.

 

  • Advanced Power State Management (APSM): Reduces memory system power and provides ultra-fast transition times between various low-power and active operating modes.

In addition, Rambus’ FlexPhase™ and Micro-threading technologies help enable the superior power efficiency of the Mobile XDR architecture.

Key components of the Mobile XDR memory architecture include Mobile XDR DRAM, Mobile XDR memory controller PHY (MIO), and the Mobile XDR memory controller (MXC). The Mobile XDR memory architecture is currently available for licensing. For additional information, please visit www.rambus.com/mobile.

About Rambus Inc.

Rambus is one of the world’s premier technology licensing companies. Founded in 1990, the Company specializes in the invention and design of architectures focused on enhancing the end-user experience of computing, communications and consumer electronics applications. Rambus’ patented innovations and breakthrough technologies in the area of high-speed memory architectures and complementary technologies have helped industry-leading chip and system companies bring superior products to market. Rambus’ technology and renowned integration expertise solve some of the most complex chip and system-level interface challenges. Rambus licenses both its world-class patent portfolio as well as its family of leadership and industry-standard interface products. Headquartered in Los Altos, California, Rambus has regional offices in North Carolina, Ohio, India, Germany, Japan, and Taiwan. Additional information is available at www.rambus.com.

Rambus and the Rambus logo are registered trademarks of Rambus Inc. All other trade names are the service marks, trademarks, or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

Rambus Achieves Power Efficiency Breakthrough for Mobile Memory Solutions

Silicon test vehicle cuts power by one third over previous record results

LOS ALTOS, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES – 10/21/2009 – Rambus Inc. (NASDAQ:RMBS), one of the world’s premier technology licensing companies specializing in high-speed memory architectures, today announced it has achieved a new breakthrough level of power efficiency with its latest silicon test vehicle developed through its Mobile Memory Initiative (MMI). The latest silicon-validated results demonstrate that through the use of MMI innovations, a high-bandwidth mobile memory controller can achieve a world-leading power efficiency of 2.2mW/Gbps. This is nearly a one third improvement over the initial MMI silicon and significantly better than the estimated 10mW/Gbps of an LPDDR2 400 memory controller.

Launched in February 2009, Rambus’ MMI focuses on achieving high bandwidth at extremely low power to enable advanced applications in next-generation smartphones, netbooks, portable gaming and portable media products. Operating at 4.3Gbps, a memory system using MMI innovations can deliver over 17GB/s of memory bandwidth from a single mobile DRAM device.

“The performance demands of next-generation mobile devices are vastly outstripping the pace of battery technology improvements,” said Martin Scott, senior vice president of Research and Technology Development at Rambus. “With the innovations developed through our Mobile Memory Initiative, we can deliver advanced applications and maintain long battery life through our breakthroughs in both bandwidth performance and power efficiency.”

Rambus’ MMI encompasses key innovations based on its renowned signaling and memory architecture expertise, including Very Low-Swing Differential Signaling, FlexClocking™ Architecture, and Advanced Power State Management. In addition, Rambus’ FlexPhase™ and Micro-threading technologies greatly improve the power efficiencies of mobile platforms.

The company will discuss its approach to solving mobile memory challenges during a presentation by Judy Chen at the ARM TechCon3 on October 22, 4:00 – 4:45 p.m. PT at the Santa Clara Convention Center. This presentation, entitled “Is Mobile Memory Becoming the New Power Hog?” will cover trends driving performance and power consumption in the handset platform and outline how Rambus MMI innovations can improve power consumption.

About Rambus Inc.

Rambus is one of the world’s premier technology licensing companies specializing in the invention and design of high-speed memory architectures. Since its founding in 1990, the Company’s patented innovations, breakthrough technologies and renowned integration expertise have helped industry-leading chip and system companies bring superior products to market. Rambus’ technology and products solve customers’ most complex chip and system-level interface challenges enabling unprecedented performance in computing, communications and consumer electronics applications. Rambus licenses both its world-class patent portfolio as well as its family of leadership and industry-standard interface products. Headquartered in Los Altos, California, Rambus has regional offices in North Carolina, India, Germany, Japan, and Taiwan. Additional information is available at www.rambus.com.

Rambus Demonstrates Superior Power Efficiency of World’s Fastest Memory

7.2Gbps XDR™ memory system uses 40% less power than GDDR5 system

LOS ALTOS, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES – 06/23/2009 – Rambus Inc. (NASDAQ:RMBS), one of the world’s premier technology licensing companies specializing in high-speed memory architectures, today showcased a silicon demonstration of a complete XDR™ memory system running at data rates up to 7.2Gbps with superior power efficiency. This silicon demonstration consists of Elpida’s recently-announced 1Gb XDR DRAM device and an XIO memory controller transmitting realistic data patterns. The XIO memory controller is up to 3.5 times more power efficient than a GDDR5 controller, and the total memory system can provide up to two times more bandwidth than GDDR5 at equivalent power. In addition, the XIO memory controller demonstrated bi-modal operation with support for both XDR DRAM as well as next-generation XDR2 DRAM.

“Future graphics and multi-core processors require significantly higher memory performance under extremely challenging power and thermal constraints,” said Martin Scott, senior vice president of Research and Technology Development at Rambus. “This technology demonstration highlights the outstanding power efficiency of the XDR and XDR2 memory architectures at performance levels from 3.2 to 7.2Gbps with scalability to well over 10Gbps.”

This silicon demonstration, shown at Denali MemCon 2009 in San Jose, is the first implementation supporting the XDR memory architecture roadmap incorporating innovations developed as part of Rambus’ Terabyte Bandwidth Initiative. Implemented in the bi-modal XIO memory controller for XDR2 operation, these innovations include:

  • Fully Differential Memory Architecture (FDMA) – enhances signal integrity and increases performance through point-to-point differential signaling of clock, data, and command/address (C/A), an industry first;
  • FlexLink™ C/A – reduces pin count and increases scalability; and
  • Enhanced FlexPhase™ – enables the world’s highest memory signaling rates while simplifying routing and board design.

In addition, the XDR2 memory architecture includes:

  • Micro-threading of the DRAM core – introduced by Rambus in early 2005, increases data transfer efficiency and reduces power consumption; and
  • 16X Data Rate – allows for extremely high data rates with the use of a relatively low-speed system clock.

Built on these innovations, an XDR2 memory system can provide memory bandwidths of over 500GB/s to an SoC. A single 4Byte-wide, 9.6Gbps XDR2 DRAM device can deliver up to 38.4GB/s of peak bandwidth, and the XDR2 architecture supports a roadmap to device bandwidths of over 50GB/s.

With these capabilities, the XDR and XDR2 memory architectures are scalable across a broad range of performance appropriate for multi-core computing, graphics, gaming, and consumer electronics. The XDR memory architecture has already been adopted in products including the Sony PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, DLP® projectors, Teradici PC-over-IP computing systems, and Toshiba’s Qosmio® laptop PCs and HDTV chip sets.

About Rambus Inc.

Rambus is one of the world’s premier technology licensing companies specializing in the invention and design of high-speed memory architectures. Since its founding in 1990, the Company’s patented innovations, breakthrough technologies and renowned integration expertise have helped industry-leading chip and system companies bring superior products to market. Rambus’ technology and products solve customers’ most complex chip and system-level interface challenges enabling unprecedented performance in computing, communications and consumer electronics applications. Rambus licenses both its world-class patent portfolio as well as its family of leadership and industry-standard interface products. Headquartered in Los Altos, California, Rambus has regional offices in North Carolina, India, Germany, Japan, and Taiwan. Additional information is available at www.rambus.com.

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