Intel Doubles Capacity of Likely Flash Successor

Intel has announced a new technique that allows them to effectively double the storage capacity of a single phase-change memory cell without adding cost to the current fabrication process. "Phase-change memory differs from other solid-state memory technologies such as flash and random-access memory because it doesn't use electrons to store data. Instead, it relies on the material's own arrangement of atoms, known as its physical state. Previously, phase-change memory was designed to take advantage of only two states: one in which atoms are loosely organized (amorphous), and another where they are rigidly structured (crystalline). But in a paper presented at the International Solid State Circuits Conference in San Francisco, researchers illustrated that there are two more distinct states that fall between amorphous and crystalline, and that these states can be used to store data."

Comments

Two Billion Transistors on Their Latest Chip

[eldavojohn]

I just read an article about them passing the two billion transistor mark for a single chip. The BBC announcement mentions many of these transistors are used for memory (the caches I assume). I am not a hardware expert although I wonder if this new phase-change memory is what they are using. Highly unlikely since this seems to be brand new research. If not, I certainly look forward to them integrating this into their chips and dies for use in caching--they could be blowing Moore's Conjecture out of the water! Exciting stuff for hardware nuts!