In making its announcement, Samsung claimed it was the first memory maker to formally introduce 512-Mbit SDRAMs conforming to the industry's new double-data rate II (DDR-II) specification. The 1.8-volt 512-Mbit DDR-II memory offers 533-megabit-per-second data transfer rates and is housed in a chip-scale, ball-grid array (BGA) package with 60 ball contacts, the Korean chip maker said.

The 512-Mbit DDR-II SDRAM's data rate can be extended to a maximum of 667-Mbit/sec. for networks and special system environments, according to Samsung.

The company said its new device incorporates JEDEC's DDR-II specifications by adding core functions that include: off-chip driver calibration (OCD) to maintain optimum driver strength; on-die termination (ODT) to ensure optimum signal waveform; and posted CAS, a command control method to enhance bus efficiency. Samsung said its 512-Mbit DDR-II SDRAM fully complies with JEDEC DDR-II standard, which was finalized in March.

"Samsung will continue to aggressively support the DDR-II design as a future mainstream technology to satisfy customer needs for high-density, high-performance memory," promised Tom Quinn, vice president of marketing for Samsung Semiconductor Inc. in San Jose.

He said Samsung's joint verification project with IBM "greatly reduced the lead time for introducing this new design as a next-generation solution."

In March 2001--prior to the development of the 512-Mbit DDR-II SDRAM--Samsung created a 2.5-volt, 128-Mbit DDR-II prototype for the joint evaluation project with IBM. In parallel with that effort, IBM created a first-generation DDR-II memory interface chip with a new registered dual-inline memory module (DIMM) for the new double-data rate II spec.

Samsung said the DDR segment is expected to represent 40% of DRAM sales in 2002 and will reach 66% by 2003. The DRAM market is expected to reach $21.1 billion in 2002 and grow to $41.1 million by 2004, said Samsung, citing a forecast from Dataquest Inc.