“For months, the Intel-Rambus relationship has been a hot topic
in the computer arena. Rambus’ serial-bus memory technology began
promisingly, but hasn’t been a strong performer. High production
costs and a lack of acceptance by the industry made many question
Intel’s judgment in agreeing to this partnership. “
“Rambus has been in the news recently, but in a negative light.
Several memory and chipset manufacturers have been sued by
Rambus… But the heaviest blow fell last week when Intel
criticized their “technology partner.” Craig Barrett, CEO of Intel,
slammed Rambus in a magazine interview. Barrett blamed Rambus for
Intel’s recent performance issues, and criticized their habit of
suing competitors to collect revenue.”
“These comments make one wonder if the Intel-Rambus marriage is
headed for divorce court, or if it will turn into a steel-caged
death-match. Whatever the case, we can all learn a lesson from the
Intel-Rambus partnership. Intel has suffered in the short-run, and
perhaps in the long run, because it is tied to a proprietary memory
architecture. Instead of embracing industry-accepted standards
like DDR, Intel is backed into a corner by a closed standard. VIA,
AMD and other companies can cash in on their DDR & SDRAM
solutions (assuming Rambus doesn’t sue them into an alternate
universe) while Intel tries to regroup.”