OCZ is one of the first companies that computer enthusiasts turn to when building or upgrading a PC.  The company prides itself on being "founded by enthusiasts, for enthusiasts," and has been releasing quality high-end memory modules since entering the market in August of 2000. OCZ has expanded from high-quality RAM to also provide products like flash drives, CPU coolers and power supplies.   

Today we had the chance to chat with OCZ CEO Ryan Petersen.  Outside of his duties as CEO, he is also the inventor or co-inventor of many of the proprietary products that OCZ offers to consumers.

DailyTech:  As CEO of OCZ, what do some of your daily tasks include?

Petersen: Typically I spend the majority of my time developing the general direction of the company, much of which involves working alongside my senior management staff, who are some of the most talented people in the industry. Leading them is an awesome experience for me, as we all work closely together to successfully design and produce the most advanced, and highest performing, computer component products available on the market.

My time away from general management duties is spent in the lab with our engineering team developing cutting edge new products, I love innovating and making sure OCZ stays a step ahead. By being very involved at both the upper management and product implementation levels I am able to translate current market needs and conditions into real solutions for consumers.

DailyTech:  Can you please give us a bit of background information about OCZ?

Petersen: I founded OCZ Technology Group in 2002, but the OCZ brand though has a longer history; I had originated the OCZ  name as a brand for a company I was then involved with years before this. Needless to say I was unhappy with the direction the brand had taken and I acquired the OCZ name and formed OCZ technology Group Inc in 2002 with a renewed focus on quality, innovation and customer service. Since then we have become well known for our product quality and service, after all I am being  interviewed by DailyTech, so we must be famous now.

DailyTech:  Can we expect a speed boost with DDR2 in the first quarter of 2006?  How will AMD’s AM2 socket affect the industry?

Petersen: I am not sure that the AM2 socket will affect the industry as much as AMD’s adoption of DDR2 Technology. It is my belief that with AMD adopting DDR2, we will finally see DDR2 becoming mainstream. The increase in demand for these new platforms in combination with typical upgrade cycles will make 2006 and 2007 very interesting, and exciting, years in our industry.

DailyTech:  OCZ is well known for their memory products and power supply units. Is OCZ currently developing any new products for enthusiasts?

Petersen: At OCZ we consider ourselves being in the business of innovation, our entire development team is comprised of enthusiasts. In 2006 we will release more premium memory and flash solutions than ever before. In addition we are expanding further into the extreme cooling space with our aggressively priced Cryo-Z phase change cooler.

DailyTech:  In your opinion, how much memory will be in a high end enthusiast computer system by the end of 2006?

Petersen: Even mid level gamers will need at least 2GB to support Microsoft Windows Vista, and Vista will finally be able to take advantage of 4GB plus of memory. I would guess that enthusiasts will need 4GB and the most hardcore will use upwards of 8GB of memory.

DailyTech:  Should PC enthusiasts pay attention to DDR2 memory? 

Petersen: DDR2 is coming of age, as enthusiast grade DDR2 moves above 800Mhz and CPU buses become more efficient, the latency hit we have seen in the past will slowly shrink away. In addition the new breed of low latency DDR that’s currently in the pipe will offer added performance.

DailyTech:  Is there anything that you would like to say to DailyTech readers?

Petersen: OCZ was founded by enthusiasts for enthusiasts, and our core values have never changed. In the future you can expect to see more and more exciting products and solutions that allow users to maximize their system performance. We will continue to focus on the successful delivery of specialty products that add real value to our customer’s total computing experience. It has been a fantastic time for OCZ, but the best is yet to come.

Basically we feel if there is a way we can make it faster, more reliable, or more efficient we will make it. That said you can count on us entering new markets whenever we see an opportunity where we can add value.