Elpida Memory just announced that it has begun field testing engineering samples of XDR random access memory chips that are running at an impressive 4.8GHz, over twice the speed of the fastest available DDR3 memory module that is currently available on the market.

The XDR memory chips developed and manufactured by Elpida are based on designs and technologies originating at the Rambus company, but despite the huge performance boost that can be associated with the increased frequencies, the XDR memory modules are now used only in a few computing applications, so the new chips may not face any real demand.

''The industry's demand for memory bandwidth in next-generation products is growing rapidly as high-definition image data becomes more popular. Working with Rambus on XDR DRAM, we can provide the most cost-effective, high-bandwidth memory solution to our customers'', said Yoshitaka Kinoshita, officer for the digital consumer division of Elpida Memory, cited by the news site xbitlabs.

The new Elpida XDR memory chips that are using the 4.8GHz operating speed are coming in 512Mb capacities and they are able to provide a data bandwidth of 9.6GB per second and a memory module made by the said company is composed of 8 such banks, while being packed in a 104-ball FBGA package, as they are manufactured using the 70 nanometer fabrication process. According to the producing company and Rambus, the new random access memory technology is well suited for high performance computing applications and general electronics devices like gaming consoles, PCs, servers and workstations.

As the XDR memory technology is fairly new, Elpida estimates that its 512Mb XDR 4.8GHz chips will be ready for sampling in December, while their mass production will begin in April next year. So far, the only large scale application that makes use of the new memory standard is the PlayStation 3 gaming console that is manufactured by Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.