| What is QDR? |
| QDR stands for Quad Data Rate and is a name that best describes the
functionality of the new architecture. By allowing for two ports to independently
run at Double Data Rate, the net result is four data items per clock cycle,
or Quad Data Rate. |
| What is the target market and application for QDR
SRAMs? |
| QDR SRAMs target the next generation of switches and routers that operate
at data rates above 200MHz. The new SRAMs are ideally suited for high-bandwidth
applications where they will serve as the main memory for look-up tables,
linked lists and controller buffer memory. |
| What are the benefits of QDR SRAMs? |
| QDR SRAMs enable the system designer to maximize bandwidth by allowing
operation at data rates above 200MHz. The QDR architecture allows the designer
to reach these speeds without the possibility of bus contention occurring. |
| What distinguishes the QDR SRAM from existing SRAM
architectures? |
| QDR SRAMs do not require a common bus to be turned around because there
is a separate data bus for reads and writes. QDR SRAMs also differ
from current architectures by utilizing a unique type of double data rate
(DDR) architecture on two ports (hence "Quad Data Rate") to increase system
bandwidth. |
| Who holds the patents for this technology? |
| The QDR patents are held by the QDR Consortium. |
| Why did Cypress, IDT and Micron team up to develop
QDR SRAMs? |
| Cypress Semiconductor Corporation, Integrated Device Technology, and
Micron Technology, Inc. have formed a consortium to mutually define, develop
and deliver the next generation SRAM standard for the high-speed networking
market. The companies are working to ensure that customers will have multiple
high-quality sources for the new SRAMs by developing pin- and
functionally-compatible products. |
| How does this partnership benefit customers? |
| The collective system expertise of the QDR Consortium provides the
customer with a wide range of market experience in state of the art high-speed
SRAM design. The mutual definition of products allows for complete interoperability
and true second sources of products. |
| Is QDR a drop-in replacement for the ZBT architecture
or NoBL architecture? |
| No. In order to meet the system requirements that QDR addresses, the
QDR device requires a different architecture and a different interface
than either ZBT or NoBL. |
| How does QDR affect the ZBT alliance? |
| The QDR SRAM consortium is completely separate from the ZBT consortium
and has no effect on existing partnerships. ZBT development is ongoing
and the ZBT roadmap will continue to evolve. |
| How does QDR affect the competitive nature of Cypress,
IDT and Micron? |
| The consortium focuses on product definition and development. Each
company is independently designing QDR devices and the competitive nature
of the three companies in the business arena will remain. Customers will
benefit from having three competitors developing a common platform. |
| Will the QDR relationship expand to other product
lines? |
| There are no plans to expand this relationship to other product lines. |
| Are other companies developing products similar
to QDR SRAMs? |
| To our knowledge no other companies are developing products similar
to QDR SRAMs. As is the case with most standards, however, it is anticipated
that others will attempt to produce similar devices at a later date. |
| What is the product introduction schedule for QDR
SRAMs? |
| Each vendor will design and manufacture the devices in its own technology
and fabrication facilities, and will deliver products according to its
own internal development schedules. |
| What is the pricing as compared to existing products? |
| Every effort has been made to architect QDR in order to provide the
best cost/performance ratio. Actual pricing will be a function of normal
market dynamics. |
| Where can I get more information on QDR SRAM? |
Visit the QDR Consortium web site at www.QDRSRAM.com |
What
is QDR?