Fujitsu Ltd is developing a new Fast Cycle Random Access Memory (FCRAM) chip which, it claims, requires one-third of the access time of conventional DRAM chips, according to the Nihon Keizai Shimbun. In conventional DRAM chips, each bit of data is stored in an individual ‘box’, with its own row and column address. The address specification is done in two passes – first the row address, then the column. The FCRAM speeds up the process by specifying both the row and column address at the same time, cutting data access times. Fujitsu plans to start shipping samples of 64Mb FCRAMs in 1999, with 128Mb and 256Mb versions in 2001. The company intends to be manufacturing over 2 million units by 2003.
