IBM develops "instant" memory, 100 times faster flash

Original author: Sharif Sakr
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We must pay tribute to the IBM engineers. They managed to go to work after the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the corporation, and announce a new invention. This time it is a new type of phase transition memory ( PCM ). Read and write speeds are 100 times faster than flash memory, can withstand several million write cycles (flash has an average of 100 thousand), and the price is predicted to be quite low, which will make it possible to use the technology in a wide range of devices: from servers with high load up mobile phones.

The technology is based on special alloys that can be transferred to different physical states, or phases, using controlled bursts of electricity. In the past, a serious problem was that the tension in the alloy threads located in the cells was weakened, and, as a result, the electrical resistance of the threads themselves increased, which led to errors in reading and writing information. Another drawback of the technology was that each cell of the alloy could store only one bit of data, but IBM employees overcame this problem: the last option presented is not only more reliable, but can also store four bits of data in one cell. The speed of the drive based on this technology will be amazing, besides, do not forget about Intel's promise to release a 50Gbps interface by 2015.

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