Intel PC133 predictions reveal DDR strategy

EBN's Jack Robertson writes that Intel Corp.'s memory road-map specialist, twice at the recent Intel Developer Forum, predicted that the Brookdale chipset supporting PC133 SDRAM would account for one-third of all Pentium 4 chipset sales this year. Brookdale, however, will not come to market until Q3 and an effort of the size necessary to sell such huge quantities implied by the forecast signals, to some at least, bad news for Rambus DRAM. Intel has confirmed it will offer Brookdale/SDRAM to support the current Willamette chip, reducing pressures to position high-performance dual-memory-channel Pentium 4 Willamette and Direct Rambus DRAM as a mainstream PC technology.

Robertson reports that key memory and motherboard makers believe that Intel is rushing its own DDR P4 chipset for a Q4 launch, despite the company's denials.

The source article is at ebnews.com.