Rambus XDR memory and FlexIO processor bus interface technologies are featured in the Playstation3 computer entertainment system
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Consumer devices are setting the pace for innovation in digital electronics. Rising consumer demands for richer graphics, stunning visuals and real-world physics require technology at the leading-edge. At Rambus, this type of innovation is a core competence, and now Rambus can reveal that its XDR memory and FlexIO processor bus interface technologies are featured in the Playstation3 (PS3) computer entertainment system.

‘The Rambus XDR memory and FlexIO interfaces are integral to enhancing the overall system performance for PS3′, said Izumi Kawanishi, Corporate Executive of Sony Computer Entertainment ‘Rambus engineers and project managers have given us confidence throughout the development program and enabled us to deliver the most advanced computer entertainment system in the world’.

Designed from the ground up for breakthrough performance, the PS3 computer entertainment system employs four XDR DRAM devices, providing 256Mbyte of memory capacity.

The Rambus XDR memory interface and FlexIO processor bus account for 90% of the Cell Broadband Engine signal pins, enabling an unprecedented aggregate bandwidth of over 65Gbyte/s in PS3.
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The Rambus XDR memory interface connecting to XDR DRAMs achieves datarates of 3.2 to 8.0GHz.

FlexIO processor buses are capable of running up to 8.0GHz datarates, providing bandwidth more than four times faster than best-of-class processor buses available today.

Clock signals to the XDR DRAMs are provided by Rambus XCG clock generators.

‘We are honoured to have worked with Sony Computer Entertainment on this project for the last three years and are excited to see PS3 launch to tremendous acclaim’, said Harold Hughes, President and Chief Executive Officer at Rambus.

‘PS3 is by far the most advanced system on the market today, capable of extremely rich and compelling graphics, bringing us closer to real-life images’.