Document and Entity Information	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017 shares
Document and Entity Information
Entity Registrant Name	RAMBUS INC
Entity Central Index Key	0000917273
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Sep. 30, 2017
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2017
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q3
Amendment Flag	false
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding	109,778,058