Agilent test tools tackle GDDR5 compliance

GDDR5 SGRAM is used in high-performance display cards and embedded designs, such as computer notebooks.

-- Test & Measurement World, 8/24/2010 7:00:00 AM

Agilent Technologies has released what it claims is the first GDDR5 (graphics double data rate 5) compliance test application package and GDDR5 BGA probes for oscilloscopes. The tools not only accelerate the turn-on and debugging of GDDR5-based systems, but also help to ensure that GDDR5 device and board designs will interoperate with other GDDR5 devices.

The U7245A GDDR5 test application runs on the Infiniium 90000 and 90000 X-Series oscilloscopes, providing GDDR5 physical-layer compliance measurements. Compliance tests are based on the JEDEC JESD212 GDDR5 SGRAM specification. Signal access is provided by Agilent's GDDR5 BGA probes.

GDDR5 technology's higher data rates—up to five times faster than GDDR3 and four times faster than GDDR4—enable more bandwidth availability over a narrower memory interface for superior performance designs for applications requiring high bandwidth. GDDR5 SGRAM is used in high-performance display cards and embedded designs, such as computer notebooks.

The GDDR5 compliance test application provides automated physical-layer testing for all clock, electrical, and timing signals with 100% test coverage as specified in the JESD212 specification. The U7245A software automatically configures the oscilloscope for each test and generates an HTML report at the end of the test that is viewable with any Web browser. The report compares the results with the specification test limit and indicates how closely the device passes or fails each test.

Engineers can debug data signal-integrity issues using the U7245A software in conjunction with the InfiniiScan multichannel and multizone triggering scope functions. The software uses these capabilities to set up the scope to separate the read and write data.

The U7245A GDDR5 compliance test application costs $4000. More information about the GDDR5 compliance test solution is available at www.agilent.com/find/U7245A.

Agilent Technologies, www.agilent.com.