DDR3 SDRAM is 50% faster and uses 30% less power than its DDR2 counterpart. So why hasn't the new technology completely replaced the old one yet? Well, first of all, DDR3 RAM is not cheap. It's more expensive, and forces a move to an entirely new platform which supports it instead of DDR2 RAM. People working with tight budgets back off from DDR3 RAM and opt for DDR2 instead.
But iSuppli predicts that this will all change very soon, saying that DDR3 SDRAM will rise to dominance during the second quarter of 2010. The reason why they think so is because a) Intel's Nehalem microprocessor microarchitecture has a memory controller that supports DDR3 only and b) production of DDR3 has advanced to the point were memory makers can produce it at a competitive cost using leading-edge semiconductor process technology.
It will be interesting to see this prediction come true, but my takeaway from all of this is just that the manufacturers are hoping to drive a bigger profit off consumers so they are almost wishing that DDR3 SDRAM becomes more widespread if not at the very onset of 2010, then during the subsequent months.
Source: [EETimesAsia]
