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Array-Based Memory May Put a Terabyte On a Chip
Lucas123 writes "A new type of flash memory, called array-based memory, could offer a terabyte of data on a single chip within the next decade by bypassing current NAND memory technology, which is limited by the miniaturization capability of lithography. According to the Computerworld story, start-up Nanochip Inc. is being backed by Intel and others, and over 11 years has made research breakthroughs that will enable it to deliver working prototypes to potential manufacturing partners next year. And by 2010, the first chips are expected to reach 100GB capacity."
We on Slashdot just learned how to use a TB of ram only yesterday!
USB 3.0 or *something faster* will be required for devices this large in portable storage capacity.. USB 2.0 is ~480Mbps (theoretical max) and it would take forever to transfer a terabyte over USB 2.0.
http://www.usb.org/usb30
http://www.eetimes.com/news/latest/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=201807389
So what we have here are tiny little nano-bots writing onto a chalcogenide-based material.
I find it very difficult to imagine how much data is 1 TB. Can some one tell me how many libraries of congresses 1 TB is?
sed -e 's/Chuck Norris/Rajnikant/g' joke > fact
Although by the time the terabyte version comes out we will probably have affordable hard disks that are even bigger, it still means practically unlimited storage for a solid-state laptop. With the exception of high-def video, that is.
I'd easily imagine this showing up inside CPU's firs tho
Karma Whoring for Fun and Profit.
Memory device with dual cantilever means, United States Patent 5036490, IBM, published 07/30/1991. TFA talks about IBM's Millipede project, which looks like something similar.
A better summary would have said "Improvements to cantilever memory hold promise for 1TB chips by 2018" or something similar.
Wikipedia has some information on non-memory uses of micro-cantilevers.
Knowledge is how to play a game, intelligence is how to win, wisdom is knowing what game to play.
We only need 50 GB, and in a form factor about a third of a deck of cards, and cheaper than a BRD. And it doesn't even have to be rewritable. Then, the tyranny of spinning disk media will finally be temporarily ameliorated, by USB high definition video players.
Imagine: not having to worry about your media obsoleting because the interface is so cheap and useful that it is guaranteed to be on every computing device long after it has been surpassed by superior buses.
Imagine a robust format that doesn't skip or scratch, even if you keep it in your pocket with your keys.
Imagine a built-in crypto chip ensuring strong DRM by essencially creating an encrypted ssh tunnel straight to your video display device, using a different key every time for the actual data.
(ok, the last one's maybe not so great, but there's no reason why anything with a usb connect can't have the crypto built in, so you'd still have your portability. If there's still a problem, then it's better to enforce the rules as perfectly as possible. People don't usually object to rules that don't affect them, witness the capricious speed laws for your example there)
Can you be Even More Awesome?!
Progress.
Access times, seeks, etc ?
These chips use moving parts. TFA mentions concerns over the longevity of the read/write element, but I'd expect the rest of the system to be more vulnerable than solid-state memory as well. With thousands of read/write probes working in parallel, there are lots of points of failure. Also, a mechanical system would have to be pretty incredible to beat the access times offered by current memory.
I read the title as 'Army-Based Memory May Put a Terabyte on a Chip'.
I guess you need a lot of porn to keep you entertained on a long tour.
Dealing with lawyers would be a lot less tedious if they all looked like Casey Novak.
lol "array-based memory"
I thought that Bill said 640 kilobytes should be enough for anybody.
He who laughs last...probably didn't get the joke.
Ok, so the AFM based probes which write the data are a well researched technology. However, I am quite curious about the material which is used to store the data. So these probes indent a material to write a bit. Then if you want to erase the bit you have to do something magical.... Don't understand how you could do this, although I suppose you could use the shape memory alloys or so. Interesting if this would work on a nanoscale..... Other than this exotic material to store the data, everything else is solid in principle.
Point well taken. However, DLP mirrors oscillated at frequencies much higher than the frame rate in order to produce gradation in the colors. If they only oscillated at the frame rate, you would only get black or white for each frame. From here...
The bit-streamed image code entering the semiconductor directs each mirror to switch on and off up to several thousand times per second. When a mirror is switched on more frequently than off, it reflects a light gray pixel; a mirror that's switched off more frequently reflects a darker gray pixel.
Name: Mr. Anon E Mouse; SSN: 555-55-5555