Elpida Memory, Inc., Japan's leading global supplier of Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM), today announced that its Hiroshima Plant has begun volume production of 40nm process 2-gigabit DDR3 SDRAMs. Since completing development of the DDR3 SDRAM last October it has taken Elpida only two months to ramp up mass production.

The new 2-gigabit DDR3 SDRAM achieves 44% more chips per wafer compared with Elpida's 50nm DDR3 SDRAM and a 100% yield for DDR3 products that operate at 1.6 Gbps, the fastest speed standard for current DDR3. It also supports high-speed products. Compared with 50nm products, it uses about two-thirds less current and supports 1.2V/1.35V operation as well as DDR3 standard 1.5V, resulting in reduced power consumption of around 50%.

Initially, Elpida plans a phased expansion of 40nm 2-gigabit DDR3 SDRAM mass production at its Hiroshima Plant. In the second quarter of 2010, 40nm process production will also begin at Rexchip, a subsidiary in Taiwan, to increase the manufacture of 40nm process products in order to lower products costs. Depending on conditions in the DRAM market, Elpida may transfer 40nm process technology to foundry partners ProMOS and Winbond to expand production based on this technology to an even higher level.

Hynix Semiconductor Inc., today announced the industry's first 2 Gb (Gigabit) GDDR5 called H5GQ2H24MFR-R2C using its leading-edge 40nm class process technology.

The newly developed GDDR5 is the fastest and highest density graphics memory available in the market. It operates at 7 Gbps (Gigabit per second) bandwidth and processes up to 28 GB/s (Gigabytes per second) with a 32-bit I/O. In addition to its fastest speed and highest density, it is also designed to minimize power consumption with 1.35V operation voltage. It is an 'eco-friendly' device which reduces energy consumption by 20% over the preceding memory solutions using 50nm class technology.

SPARKLE Computer Co., Ltd., the professional VGA card manufacturer and supplier, today launched the SPARKLE GeForce GT240 1024MB GDDR5 Graphics Cards with 1024MB GDDR5 big capacity and high speed memory, delivering world-class HD graphics performance for mainstream gamers.

Taking the performance increase into account, SPARKLE GeForce GT240 1024MB GDDR5 Graphics Cards features 40nm chip process from TSMC, this new process let SPARKLE GeForce GT240 1024MB GDDR5 Graphics Cards to be the first batch graphics cards on market to adopt the NVIDIA new 40nm graphics chip. Thanks to advanced 40nm process, now It features much higher transistor density than before, bringing a greater number of stream processors than its predecessor.

Hynix Semiconductor, Inc. has announced the Intel validation of 2Gb (Gigabit) DDR3 DRAM using 40nm class process technology.

Hynix's newly validated products are 2Gb DDR3 SDRAM component, 4GB (Gigabyte) DDR3 SODIMM (Small Outline Dual In-line Memory Module) and 2GB DDR3 UDIMM (Un-buffered Dual In-line Memory Module) at the operating speed of 1333MHz with 1.5V power supply.

The products can offer the maximum data transfer speed of 1867MHz with 16-bit I/O and 3.7GB/s (Gigabytes per second) bandwidth. The productivity of Hynix's 40nm class 2Gb DDR3 is increased by more than 60% over 50nm class process technology.

Club 3D, European market leader for graphics cards, today announced the release of its new 40nm process technology based HD5970 graphics card. Equipped with two ATI Hemlock graphics processing units. The fastest graphics card on the planet has been developed.

Engineered for speed, the Club 3D HD5970 delivers an unrivaled HD gaming experience so you can play the latest, most demanding HD titles like never before. Featuring cutting-edge graphic, display and memory technology, this next-generation powerhouse delivers unprecedented performance straight out of the box. Unlocked, this graphics card has massive headroom, so you can take control and push your hardware to its full potential!

Club 3D, European market leader for graphics cards, today introduces with the Club 3D GT 240 graphics card the next GPU manufactured in 40nm process technology. Your perfect choice for professional graphics and also suitable as dedicated PhysX graphics card to run your games 50% faster. Turn your photos and home videos into materspieces at the clock of a button, view flawless Adobe Flash 10.1 video in full screen HD. Energize your multimedia with Club 3D GT 240 graphics and equip your PC for the digital world. Enjoy 3D Vision and 3D Photos to play your games and view your photos in 3D.

World renowned graphics card and mainboard brand and manufacturer, MSI, captured the hearts of powerful performance enthusiasts after unveiling its all-new R5800, R5700 series of graphics cards. Today, MSI unveils its top model, the R5970-P2D2G graphics card, which not only equips two advanced 40nm GPUs, but also utilizes 3200 stream processors (SPs)*, and 2 GB 512 bit** GDDR5 graphics memory, making it the best performing card on the planet today!

Additionally, MSI's R5970-P2D2G graphics card features ATI Eyefinity triple-display output technology, allowing gamers to get fully immersed in the latest DirectX 11 environments. The card also offers PowerPlay power-saving functionality that shows remarkable power-saving when the machine is in stand-by. Equally noteworthy is MSI's own "Afterburner" overclocking software that allows the user to adjust both the voltage and overclocking settings for better performance. With CrossFire X enabled, the dual GPUs offer outstanding, stable performance that redefines fast. Without a doubt, this card will be the first choice of performance enthusiasts.

AMD today announced the flagship installment in the award-winning line of graphics cards, the ATI Radeon HD 5970, the fastest card ever created. The new ultra high-end model joins a growing list of the world's first and only graphics cards to fully support Microsoft DirectX 11 technology and ATI Eyefinity multi-display technology.

Designed to support the most demanding PC games at ultra-high resolutions and image quality settings, the ATI Radeon HD 5970 has unlocked overclocking potential, granting access to every bit of power the card has to offer through ATI Overdrive technology. Now shipping from retailers and available in the channel, the ATI Radeon HD 5970 also launches today in new Alienware Area-51, Area-51 ALX and Aurora desktop PCs.

World renowned graphics card and mainboard manufacturer, MSI, today formally releases the world's first graphics card to support over voltage function - the N240GT series. Including the N240GT-MD512-OC/D5 and N240GT-MD1G, this series allows the user to adjust both the voltage and the overclocking configurations via the Afterburner overclocking software to increase GPU clock up to 30%. Additionally, this series utilizes an advanced 40nm GPU, supports the DirectX 10.1 gaming standard, and offers an native HDMI output for awesome 3D support and high-definition entertainment. The N240GT-MD512-OC/D5 uses extremely fast 512 MB GDDR5 graphic memory, and implements military class components to offer an incredible cost-performance value to customers.

MSI's all new N240GT series of graphics cards supports over voltage function of GPU and overclocking configuration adjusting functionality. Accessible through MSI's Afterburner overclocking software, the user can quickly adjust the GPU's voltage to improve overclocking potential, and the GPU clock can be up to 30%. Without a doubt, this new graphics card series offers users an impressive overclocking experience.

POINT OF VIEW, premier NVIDIA partner for GeForce Graphics cards, is launching today the first GDDR5 GeForce graphics card, the GeForce GT240. Built from the ground up, the latest GeForce 200 series graphics card is a big step forward. Built on 40nm the GPU will consume less energy and have less heat production. This allows better clock speeds, a higher overclocking potential and lower temperatures. The smaller die-size together with the support for DirectX 10.1 and Shader model 4.1 really adds a future proof coating to the GT240.

Another major improvement is the support of GDDR5 which literally multiplies the possible memory clock by two! The new PCB design also has integrated HDMI audio so no additional SPDIF cable is required for rerouting the sound to the HDMI cable.

TUL Corporation, a leading manufacturer of AMD graphics cards, today introduces a passive cooling solution into the HD5700 family: SCS3 HD5750. The PowerColor SCS3 HD5750 features an effective passive cooling solution dissipating excessive heat with minimal noise. The copper base, which fully covers, the GPU through 4 copper heat pipes and 32 piece heat sink offers outstanding cooling performance in a quite setting.

While running passively, the PowerColor SCS3 HD5750 maintains the original specifications with core engine of 700MHz, 1150 MHz memory speed. This model takes advantage of the latest 40nm technology, providing better performance while using less power and offering an excellent balance between a superior gaming experience and power efficiency.

HIS unleashed the revolutionary new HIS Radeon HD 5770 & HD 5750 1GB GDDR5. Loaded with innovative DirectX 11 and Eyefinity support, these GPUs have the power and premium features you need for fully immersive gameplay.

HIS Radeon HD 5770 1GB GDDR5 accelerates PC gaming with 1 teraFLOPS computing power! Running at 850MHz core clock speed and 4.8 Gbps memory clock speed, the HIS Radeon HD 5770 ensure extreme game play at high resolutions and maximum settings. The HIS Radeon HD 5750 supplies with the same 1GB GDDR5 with memory running at 4.6Gbps and core clock at 700MHz. You can now experience the speed, responsiveness and performance of ultra-high bandwidth GDDR5 memory.

Now, more people than ever can experience real innovation in DirectX 11 gaming with the Club 3D HD5700 graphics card series. Loaded with advanced technology, this graphics card has the power and premium features you need for fully immersive gameplay. Expand your visual real estate across up to three displays and get lost in the action with revolutionary ATI Eyefinity technology. Using ATI Stream technology, accelerate even the most demanding applications and do more then ever with our PC. Enable realistic visual effects and an explosive HD gaming performance to dominate the competition.

Enjoy an incredibly immersive HD gaming/computing experience with ATI Eyefinity Technology. This revolutionary multi-display technology allows you to expand your visual real estate across up to three displays with innovative "wrap around" capabilities to maximize your field of view with incredible sharpness and clarity. Perform tasks on a PC faster with ATI Stream technology, speed up demanding everyday applications and get more done in less time. The first fully Microsoft DirectX 11-compatible GPUs, Club 3D HD5800 Series is designed to deliver ultimate HD gaming performance for the latest games and DirectX 11 applications so you can dominate the competition.

After launching the powerful R5800 series graphics card which successfully get global overclocking enthusiasts' attention, MSI, leading graphics cards and mainboard brand-manufacturer, today introduces the latest R5700 series graphics card, MSI R5770-PM2D1G and R5750-PM2D1G. With the advanced 40nm GPU, DirectX 11 support, high speed GDDR5 video memory, and ATi Eyefinity technology, the MSI R5700 series graphics card can fully provide stunning gaming experience by DirectX 11 to gamers. In addition to better performance/power ratio compared to popular HD 4870 of last generation product, MSI R5700 is the premium high performance graphics card that you must have! Now get it with a free DirectX 11 support racing game "Dirt2" and MSI exclusive VGA overclocking utility "Afterburner"!

The brand new MSI R5700 series is the same as its R5800 series, using the advanced 40nm GPU to implement decisively more transistors within the same amount of space and thereby reaching a new level of performance. In addition the modern 40nm process reduces power consumption and brings about a more efficient overall electrical utilization. Compared to popular HD 4870 of last generation product, the power consumption of MSI R5770-PM2D1G is significantly improved. The performance per watt result is 20% better than last generation.

The new ZOTAC GeForce GT 220 and 210-based graphics cards take 3D performance and home theater integration to a whole new level with new technologies for superior performance, visuals and audio. 3D performance is enhanced with support for DirectX 10.1 and OpenGL 3.1 technologies for realistic visuals and unmatched performance.

ZOTAC GeForce GT 220 graphics cards feature 48 lightning-fast processing cores while the more affordable ZOTAC GeForce 210 features 16 processing cores. Despite the high-performance of the new ZOTAC GeForce GT 220 and 210 series graphics cards, the new graphics cards are energy efficient and consume little energy thanks to a new manufacturing process.

MSI, leading global graphics card and motherboard manufacturer, just announced the launch of the N220GT/N210 graphics cards series to meet users' demands for top-notch quality at an ideal price-performance level. These all-new graphics cards series implement advanced 40nm GPUs with full support for the latest DirectX 10.1 multimedia gaming standard, sport MSI Military Class components for greatest stability and even support native HDMI output offering the most crisp audio-visual experience available on the market today. This is the ideal solution for price-performance conscience users with high demands.

Elpida Memory, Inc., Japan's leading global supplier of Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM), today announced that it had finished development of the smallest high-speed low-power 40nm 2-gigabit DDR3 SDRAM in the DRAM industry.

The new 2-gigabit DDR3 SDRAM uses a smaller chip size to achieve a 44% higher chip yield per wafer compared with Elpida's 50nm DDR3 SDRAM and a 100% yield for DDR3 products that operate at 1.6Gbps, the highest speed standard for current DDR3. Compared with 50nm products, it uses about two-thirds less current and supports 1.2V/1.35V operation as well as DDR3 standard 1.5V, thus reducing power consumption by as much as 45%.

GLOBALFOUNDRIES today announced a strategic customer relationship with STMicroelectronics. One of the world's leading suppliers of semiconductor solutions, ST will partner with GLOBALFOUNDRIES to produce products based on 40nm Low Power (LP) bulk silicon technology. The 40nm LP process is ideal for the next generation of wireless applications, handheld devices, and consumer electronics, which require excellent performance and long battery life. First tape out and production of ST products by GLOBALFOUNDRIES is planned to start in 2010.

"When we launched GLOBALFOUNDRIES, our long-term vision was to bring a new business model to the foundry market and to become the partner of choice for the largest and most innovative semiconductor design and manufacturing companies," said Doug Grose, Chief Executive Officer, GLOBALFOUNDRIES. "With the addition of an industry-leader in low-power technology like STMicroelectronics we now begin to deliver on this vision. We look forward to harnessing our full capabilities for ST to provide best-in-class service in bringing their 40nm design innovation to life in high volumes and at mature yields."

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., the world leader in advanced memory technology, announced today that it has begun mass producing the industry's first two gigabit (Gb) DDR3 devices using 40 nanometer (nm) class process technology.

"We see market adoption to DDR3 picking up steam and are accommodating that with early entry of 2Gb DDR3 using the most efficient DRAM manufacturing technology available today," said Jim Elliott, Vice President, Memory Marketing, Samsung Semiconductor, Inc. "This will set the pace for a new standard in premium, eco-friendly DRAM solutions offering the most advanced, low power RDIMM for servers anywhere."

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., the world leader in advanced semiconductor technology solutions, announced shipment of its 32-Gigabyte (GB) moviNAND, the highest density embedded memory card utilizing advanced 30-nanometer (nm) class process technology. Use of high-density embedded memory improves the performance of high-end phones and other mobile consumer electronics when processing and storing large amounts of multimedia content such as videos, video games and TV broadcasts.

The 32 GB moviNAND is the first embedded memory card to use 32 Gigabit (Gb) NAND devices produced with 30nm-class process technology. The new Samsung card doubles the density of the previous generation of moviNAND that is now being produced with 16 Gb 40nm-class NAND chips.

UMC, a leading global semiconductor foundry, today announced that it has delivered customer ICs produced on its High Performance (HP) 40 nm process technology. The products were manufactured with excellent cycle time and yields for the large die-size programmable logic chips, which leveraged the foundry's triple-gate oxide, 12 metal layers and copper/low-k technology to enable 65% reduced power consumption and more than twice the density improvement over previous 65nm generation products. The advanced 40 nm ICs have already begun shipping in volume to the customer's end users for product sampling.

S.C. Chien, vice president of advanced technology development at UMC, said, "UMC continues to remain at the forefront of semiconductor foundry technology through the timely delivery of leading-edge processes that meet the demanding requirements of today's advanced applications. The delivery of these 40 nm customer products underscores this technology commitment, we look forward to bringing the performance advantages of our proven 40 nm technology to even more UMC customers."

Samsung Electronics, the world leader in advanced memory technology, today announced that it has begun using 40-nanometer (nm) process technology to produce an eight-gigabit (Gb) Flex-OneNAND fusion memory chip. Samsung's Flex-OneNAND is a proprietary memory device that provides both SLC and MLC NAND in a single cost-efficient chip. It has been designed for applications that require high speed and high reliability in processing both code and data content. Applications using Flex-OneNAND are expected to expand from high-performance smart phones today, to full HDTVs, IPTVs and other high-end applications by year end.

AMD today announced the world's first graphics processors to harness 40nm process technology: the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4860 and ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4830. These feature-rich graphics processors redefine mobile PC entertainment with advanced capabilities including support for the latest Microsoft DirectX 10.1 games, a home theater-quality HD multimedia experience, and energy-efficient features for long battery life at work, at home or at play.

Hynix forms one of the top-tier DRAM manufacturers. On Sunday, the company made it official that its new 1 Gb (128 MB) DDR3 memory chip built on the new 40 nm silicon fabrication process, will enter mass production by the third quarter, and be available to manufacturers soon after. The chip (model: H5TQ1G83CFR) operates with a top-speed of 2,133 Mbps, at a wide range of voltage.

Using the three-dimensional transistor technology, the company has stepped-up productivity by more than 50% over its current DRAM chips built on the 50 nm process. The new technology is said to minimize electric leakages and reduces overall power consumption of the DRAM chip. The new 1Gb memory chip meets Intel's DDR3 DRAM specification compliance and the memory module will be examined for certification by Intel.

AMD is on course of releasing the industry's first GPU built on the 40nm silicon process: the RV740. Its specifications make it a cheap yet powerful GPU for the segment it is about to cater to. With the earliest pointers hinting at 640 stream processors and a 128-bit wide GDDR5 memory interface. The GPU also marks the industry's first mainstream implementation of the GDDR5 standard.

Fresh details emerging out of the inspection of the driver information files of ATI Catalyst version 9.1, as German website ATI Forum finds out, hints at the possibility of the RV740 being implemented in two SKUs: the Radeon HD 4730 and Radeon HD 4750. While in the driver file, the device string lists with "RV630", it can be seen throughout the file that several strings are assigned to the same RV630, and is merely a means to identifying a whole class or generation of graphics processors to the driver. Additionally, the string bears the device ID of the RV670, again, that's not relevant. The strings are what matter. The RV740 is not very far away from large scale production. It should become a reality by the upcoming CeBIT event, in March. From the view of being a mere postulation, RV740 being the GPU that goes into making the new SKUs, does end up sounding plausible. When released, these cards are intended to further strengthen AMD's market position in the sub-US $150 market.