Rambus Micro-Threading For DRAM 4X Boost In 3D

Rambus Inc., one of the world's premier technology licensing companiesspecializing in high-speed chip interfaces, today unveiled an architecturalbreakthrough of applying micro-threading to DRAM cores. This innovationsignificantly increases memory subsystem efficiency, resulting in up to fourtimes greater performance when compared to a traditional DRAM in applicationssuch as 3D graphics, advanced video imaging, and network routing and switching.

Micro-threading increases memory system efficiency by enabling DRAMs toprovide more usable data bandwidth to requesting memory controllers. A singlecore operation of a typical mainstream DRAM provides a larger amount of datathan needed by many applications. As a result, large amounts of memory bandwidthare used to deliver a small amount of relevant data. Micro-threading enables theDRAM to provide several smaller relevant pieces of data in place of a singlelarger piece of data, resulting in higher memory bandwidth efficiency whileminimizing power consumption.

"By applying micro-threading to a DRAM core, we are continuing our traditionof innovation by designing and developing advanced technologies to improve thebandwidth between DRAMs and their associated memory controllers," said LauraStark, vice president of Platform Solutions at Rambus. "We look forward toworking with our various DRAM partners to bring this exciting new technology tothe market in high-volume applications."

With the application of micro-threading to a DRAM core, separate addressesare provided to different DRAM core partitions, enabling the requestingcontroller to generate multiple micro-RAS and micro-CAS operations in the sametime it would take to generate a single RAS or CAS command to a standard DRAM.Simultaneously accessible banks allow for concurrent retrieval of data, whichare then bundled into a single transmission.

Realistic interactive 3D applications such as games and visualizationsoftware require more complex scenes, composed of increasingly smaller texturedpolygons or triangles. A Rambus analysis showed that a standard GDDR SDRAM beingused in a 3D application can deliver between 50 and 125 million triangles persecond. If the same GDDR SDRAM were to be enhanced with micro-threading, therate of delivered triangles would increase to between 100 and 500 milliontriangles per second. By enabling higher triangle rendering rates,micro-threading, as it is applied to a DRAM core, benefits the end userexperience by providing richer visuals.

Micro-threading may be applied to existing DRAM cores with relatively lowincremental cost. To benefit from the performance increase, DRAM controllersinterfacing with micro-threaded DRAMs need to be optimized for the newtechnology. This patent pending micro-threading technology is available forlicensing today. For more information on micro-threading and other Rambusinnovations, please visit www.rambus.com