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GDDR-3 is a graphics card-specific memory technology, designed by ATI Technologies. It has much the same technological base as DDR-II, but the power and heat dispersal requirements have been reduced somewhat, allowing for higher-speed memory modules, and simplified cooling systems. Unlike the DDR-II used on graphics cards, GDDR-3 is unrelated to the upcoming JEDEC DDR-III specification.
Despite being designed by ATI, the first card to use the technology was nVidia's GeForce FX 5700 Ultra, where it replaced the DDR-II modules that were being previously used on it. The next card to use it was nVidia's GeForce 6800 Ultra, where it was key in maintaining reasonable power requirements compared to its predecessor, the 5950 Ultra. ATI began using the memory on their Radeon X800 cards.
