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IBM Claims World's Smallest SRAM Memory Cell
nokiator writes "IBM issued a press release today claiming that it has built an SRAM memory cell that is ten times smaller than those currently available.
My interpretation of the PRese in this release is that IBM will be able to build 256Mb or 512Mb SRAM chips or integrate 32MB or more SRAM into processor dies for cache applications in the future. Of course, showing some SRAM cell prototypes is a long ways from being able to manufacture this technology in a cost effective way.
There is no information in this PR about the speed or power consumption of SRAM blocks that can be built with this new cell technology. This is not likely to be a potential DRAM replacement for mainstream applications as DRAM already offers more than ten times density compared to SRAM at much better cost."
...they can only store zeros. They are working feverishly on scaling them up to store ones.
And people keep asking me why we don't buy servers from Dell. Maybe I'm old-fashioned in thinking that a company that continuously innovates the technology and not the distribution or marketing channel is whom I should get my technology from...
There's so many things wrong with this post...
a) the 64-bit CPUs that exist today have 32-bit instructions.
2) just because the width of the registers is 64-bit does not mean that all data that is processed is now 64-bit wide, 64-bit CPUs are certainly capable of processing 32-bit values.
D) somehow having a value stored as 64-bits doesn't mean you can use it for twice as many things as the same value stored as 32-bits (assuming it fits) or somehow all of your programs/algorithms can use the value twice as much as before (implying twice the work)
The memory modules you put in your computer are composed of DRAM chips. DRAM uses a capacitor and a transistor per cell (plus sense amps, decoders, etc.). DRAM requires refresh (the charge on the cap leaks off) but is relatively low-power and very dense. SRAM uses no capacitors, but more transistors (4 or 6) per bit; it's higher-power but faster and doesn't require refresh.
So, SRAM density has nothing to do with DIMMs you put in a computer. It's used for on-chip caches (and off-chip caches), but is too expensive for main memory. Denser SRAM means that Opteron you've got with 1M L2 cache could have 4M or 8M if IBM can mass-produce the stuff.
DIMMs usually have 16 chips (18 for ECC modules). So, if you have 512Mbit DRAMs, you put 16 of them on a module and you get 8Gbit = 1Gbyte. Gigabit DRAMs can make 2GB DIMMs. 2Gbit DRAMs are needed to make 4GB DIMMs; they cost hundreds of dollars each (and you need 16!), which is why 4GB DIMMs are so amazingly expensive.
High-speed Road Trip (18.000KPH)
Of course, showing some SRAM cell prototypes is a long ways from being able to manufacture this technology in a cost effective way.
Well, were still talking about IBM here? Do you really think that a few hundred dollars more would even get noticed at clients that buy a server in the 100K range?
The main advantage of buying high-end gear from IBM, Cisco and the like isn't that you get cheap hardware ('cause you simply don't). You buy the gear from that company because you get 10 years in-house service including remote failure detection if you pay for it. That means, THEY call YOU before you even notice one of your tripple-redunant drives has problems. At this point in time, the technician is probably already on the way up to your office.
Sure, it's very expensive. But you save quite a lot by not having any significant downtime...
Seen in that context, 500 bucks more for RAM is IMHO just irrelevant to even think of...
Look, this thing is totally safe! Built it myself, you know. You just press that button like this and then turn that lev
However, I wonder if the additional implementation requirements justify the benefits. Static typing is only found in certain computer languages, and programmers have come to rely on dynamic memory allocation offered by malloc() or similar routines. I suspect with careful design one could fully exploit the advantages present -- with software being cheaper than hardware, it could easily be well worth it in embedded or pre-fabricated devices.
The type of implementor that uses (dynamic) extreme programming methodologies may be left out in the cold, although I would like to suggest that would occur anyway to a person working without a blueprint. Regardless, it will be exciting to see how this develops from the embedded perspective...
Try not. Do or do not, there is no try.
-- Dr. Spock, stardate 2822-3.
Comment removed based on user account deletion
You, sir, are the man.
You convinced at least five posters that you were serious while simultaneously spouting an illogical collection of computer-related jargon and utterly false statements. I expect to see you here again on April 1st.
Mod me down and I will become more powerful than you can possibly imagine!