"x4" or "x8" refer to the data width of the DRAM chips in bits.

The chip will hold 64 times more data than 16 megabit DRAM chips, which are used in current personal computers to store data.

This allows DRAM chips to be wider than 8 bits while still supporting byte-granularity writes.

Around the chip there are two 256-bit ring buses running at the same speed as the DRAM chips, but in opposite directions to reduce latency.

The DRAM chip uses less power than previous generations- it only needs 1.35 volts to operate and is built on a 50nm process.

Exactly when memory using the new DRAM chips will hit the market is unknown.

Modules with multiple DRAM chips can provide correspondingly higher bandwidth.

DRAM chips are the most common type of computer memory products, used in personal computers, printers and electronics devices.

But with overcapacity in the industry, prices for the standard DRAM chips are down by almost 50 percent compared with the period a year ago.

A second fab was completed in late 1984 to produce 256K DRAM chips.