Full Title: Elpida's 4 Gigabyte Fully Buffered DIMMs Deliver the Highest Performance, Highest Density and Thinner Module Design for Server Main Memory
"Unprecedented Speed – Combined with High Density – and Thin Form-factor Will Enable a New Generation of High-Performance Servers"
TOKYO, JAPAN, August 2, 2005
– Elpida Memory, Inc. (Elpida), Japan's leading global supplier of
Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM), today announced the availability
of 4 Gigabyte, Fully Buffered Dual In-Line Memory Modules (FB-DIMMs)
that offer the industry's highest performance and density, as well as a
thinner module form-factor for server applications. The new FB-DIMM
offers the additional benefits of improved memory controller timing and
increased bus speed to support next-generation high performance server
processors.
Elpida's new modules can deliver
up to 32 Gigabytes of memory in an eight-slot server platform, with
system data transfer rates up to 21.2 Gigabytes per second (GB/sec).
Elpida's FB-DIMMs are based on its 1 Gigabit DDR2 devices which are
incorporated into Elpida's unique, stacked FBGA (sFBGA) packages to
achieve much thinner modules – 6.7mm – compared to the JEDEC
specification of 9.8mm (max). The module thinness helps increase air
flow between DIMMs and improves thermal performance in server and blade
systems.
"The new FB-DIMM standard
represents a major technology breakthrough for server platforms," said
Jun Kitano, director of Technical Marketing for Elpida Memory (USA).
"Elpida's FB-DIMMs leverage our existing strengths in device
manufacturing and packaging technology, as well as our expertise in
supporting the leading-edge of the server market."
About the New FB-DIMM
The new FB-DIMM was created to address performance limitations
associated with the previous standard for Registered DIMMs for server
platforms. FB-DIMMs were designed to support next-generation processors
and faster bus speeds. The new FB-DIMM calls for all signals – clock,
address, command and data – to and from the DRAM devices on the module
to be buffered at the high-speed Advanced Memory Buffer (AMB) chip
located on the DIMM. This helps to secure the DRAM timing margins
during high-speed operation with a much shorter signal path between the
DRAM and the AMB. The FB-DIMM also adopts a Point-to-Point connection
on the bus between the memory controller and the DIMM, as well as
between the DIMMs themselves. This allows increased bus speed with a
shorter connection path. It also greatly improves the maximum number of
DIMMs that can be loaded on the bus – up to eight 2-rank DIMMs per
channel – with less concern about signal degradation.
Elpida's 4 Gigabyte FB-DIMM – Technical Details
Elpida's 4 Gigabyte FB-DIMMs (Part numbers: EBE41FE4AAHA-5C-E,
EBE41FE4AAHA-6E-E) are organized and 256M words x 72-bits x 2 Ranks.
They are composed of thirty-six pieces of 1 Gigabit DDR2 SDRAM stacked
using Elpida's sFBGA packages. The stacked packages enable an
exceptionally thin module design, and they actually improve module
yield because they are based on devices that have already been tested.
The modules are available in two performance modes: either PC2-4200F or
PC2-5300F. PC2-4200F mode uses DDR2-533 devices with a CAS Latency (CL)
of 4-4-4, and the PC2-5300F mode uses DDR2-667 devices with a CL=5-5-5.
This translates to a module data transfer rate of 5.3GB/sec per
channel, 21.2GB/sec per system in a 4-channel configuration.
Availability
Elpida shipped the first FB-DIMM samples for testing purposes only,
last December. The new 4 Gigabyte modules (Part numbers:
EBE41FE4AAHA-5C-E and EBE41FE4AAHA-6E-E) are available now for all
customers in sample quantities, and volume production is scheduled for
Q4 2005. Lower density 2 Gigabyte, 1 Gigabyte and 512 Megabyte FB-DIMM
samples are also available.
Source: Elpida Press Release
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