Samsung first to mass produce DDR3 memory chips

Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., the world's top maker of memory chips, on Monday said it is the first supplier to mass produce graphic chips for the next generation of video games.
Mueez Deen, director of graphics for the U.S. semiconductor unit of Samsung, said it has begun high-volume manufacturing of a 512-megabit graphics DDR3 memory chip for use in gaming consoles and personal computers.

Samsung, which is based in Seoul, South Korea, has jumped ahead of rivals in the graphics memory chip market such as Hynix Semiconductor Inc., also of South Korea, and Infineon Technologies AG of Germany, he said.
Samsung's move to mass produce the chips comes several months ahead of the arrival of Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox 360, the first major device that will depend on the DDR3 powered chip.
By being first into mass production, Samsung stands to win a big chunk of the early market for these chips. But with the introduction of Microsoft's console still months away, Samsung rivals have time to reach volume production as well, analyst Dean McCaron of market forecaster Mercury Research said.