14 DAY TRIAL // Qimonda AG - according to market studies made by iSuppli - is the second graphics manufacturer in the world, after Samsung. They want to skip ahead by leaving GDDR4 memory production behind in favor of GDDR5 memory. The previous rename that Infineon had built up helped Qimonda triple its share market from 10 to 30%.
According to Robert Feurle, vice president for Qimonda, the jump in the computer industry will not be towards discrete graphics solutions, but towards the high end segment of the market. Based on studies made by several companies that specialize in market research such as iSuppli and Citigroup, Feurle believes that the market for discrete graphics will decrease in size by 2011, while the mainstream market for graphics cards will orient itself towards the use or GDDR5, rather than GDDR4.
A pretty bald affirmation considering that the market is now basing its high end products on GDDR3, and we've just barely made the step towards GDDR4. He also stated that many customers will jump directly from GDDR3 to GDDR5, which is somewhat of an impossibility at the present time, I for one, haven't seen GDDR5 chips being manufactured, well, anywhere for that matter.
Their push of the subject goes all the way up to JEDEC, hoping that the standardization will be made by the end of 2007 and the first chips will begin production in the first quarter of 2008. The goal of GDDR5 memory is to provide low-power capability and three times the performance of today's 800MHz GDDR3 chips. It's, like I've said, a bald statement which for now isn't based on any hard facts, maybe just on a couple of test models and some laboratory-made calculations, looking at the finished product before it even gets manufactured. Whether it's the way of the future or just some visionary ideas, I think we'll stick to what the market can offer for now.