
Intel shift
responsible
The move from Intel to support speedy DDR3 memory has
resulted in a boom for the technology and a slow down for the older DDR2.
Research firm iSuppli said prices of both memory forms
are coming closer, which is boosting the adoption of DDR3. Chip makers are equipping their processors with
DDR3-capable memory controllers while phasing out implementations of older
memory forms.
At the end of last year DDR2 memory accounted for 48
percent of DRAM shipments, but the numbers are declining, iSuppli said. DDR3 accounted for 35 percent of shipments during the
fourth quarter of 2009. This year it will overtake DDR2 shipments,
the report said. Prices of both memory technologies will remain close as
memory makers shift production between DDR3 and DDR2 to generate the most
revenue. Increasing demand for DDR3 could keep its price slightly
higher.
Intel made a major shift to DDR3 memory in 2008 when it
introduced the Nehalem microarchitecture. AMD released DDR3-capable desktop
processors early last year and is in the process of implementing DDR3-capable
memory controllers in its laptop processors.