IBM Makes a Super Memory Breakthrough

adeelarshad82 writes "IBM says they have made a significant leap forward in the viability of 'Racetrack memory,' a new technology design which has the potential to exponentially increase computing power. This new tech could give devices the ability to store as much as 100 times more information than they do now, which would be accessed at far greater speeds while utilizing 'much less' energy than today's designs. In the future, a single portable device might be able to hold as much memory as today's business-class servers and run on a single battery charge for weeks at a time. Racetrack memory works by storing data as magnetic regions (also called domains), which would be transported along nanowire 'racetracks.' Instead of forcing a computer to seek out the data it needs, as traditional computing systems do, the information would automatically slide along the racetrack to where it could be used."

Comments

"Breakthrough" Now a Meaningless Word

[eldavojohn]

Really? The summary doesn't even get around to explaining what the alleged "breakthrough" was. It's just trumpeting the awesomeness of race-track memory. From the article:

"We discovered that domain walls don't hit peak acceleration as soon as the current is turned on, and that it takes them exactly the same time and distance to hit peak acceleration as it does to decelerate and eventually come to a stop," commented Dr. Stuart Parkin, an IBM Fellow at IBM Research. "This was previously undiscovered in part because it was not clear whether the domain walls actually had mass, and how the effects of acceleration and deceleration could exactly compensate one another. Now we know domain walls can be positioned precisely along the racetracks simply by varying the length of the current pulses even though the walls have mass."

Don't get me wrong, race track memory is some pretty exciting stuff but I think we're dealing with an observation that means they can now proceed along a certain strategy for storing and retrieving bits. I don't think I would call this a breakthrough, it sounds like they set out to investigate domain walls and learned something. How is that a breakthrough? We're still in the ten to fifteen years away period which is that magic flying car period that, in many instances of exciting new technology, never seems to shrink.

"Breakthrough" no longer means anything to me. I don't know what you would have to put in the title to get me genuinely excited about a real breakthrough ... probably something like "Researchers Shitting Themselves Over New Discovery."

Re:"Breakthrough" Now a Meaningless Word

[wealthychef]

Actually, the word "breakthrough" is pretty applicable here. There was this undiscovered property that acted as a barrier and prevented moving forward with the technology, but now that it is discovered, the barrier has been broken through and progress can continue. You might not be satisfied unless it's an announced product, and I'm with you there, but it's still a breakthrough in the technical sense of the word.

Re:"Breakthrough" Now a Meaningless Word

[SageMusings]

It's "Bubble Memory" all over again.

Exponentially

[serviscope_minor]

I hate it when people misuse the word exponentially to mean big.

At best, it will allow the current exponential growth to increase.

Re:Not holding my breath

[TaoPhoenix]

Yeah, I'm getting too old for vaporware. Now I try only to pay attention to "on shelves now".

Five years

[TopSpin]

20 years

Please avoid careless speculation. The SPI of racetrack memory, as with other microelectronic breakthroughs is five years.

here's an idea

[LodCrappo]

why not connect the racetracks directly to the internet tubes. then the information could slide along the racetrack into a series of tubes and ultimately slide right into your own personal racetrack.

Re:Not holding my breath

[timeOday]

Then why read Slashdot? The Best Buy circular in the Sunday paper is what you are looking for.

I won't defend the rather confused writeup, but the research itself still sounds like genuine progress in a worthwhile area. Moore's Law, or rather the more general/important version that "computer stuff just keeps getting better," isn't a law of nature. Technology is moved forward a little at a time by just this type of research. And yes, most research goes nowhere. But the exceptions to that rule made the world what it is today.

This is just bubble memory again

[DCFusor]

I guess the patent has finally run out on the original, which I played with in the early '70s for some military EE work I was doing then for a beltway bandit. Just a big bunch of shift registers moving magnetic "bubbles" or "domains" round and round. The thing had a (for the time) decent capacity and storage capability, for example, you could get just about floppy drive performance out of a chip (and some other parts to make all the clocks)....It was of course still far slower than the ram of the time.

To this old fart, it looks the same, just a different way to fab the thing. But hey what do I know?

One thing I do know. Current scientists aren't very well educated on what has gone before. About a year ago I saw the "breakthrough" development of a "plasma transistor" that I also had in a 1950's book on my shelf....happens pretty frequently these days. These guys are so specialized they don't even know the history of their own fields anymore, much less a broad history.

Reminds me of Hari Seldon and "the galactic empire is crumbling" to be frank. Not even up to Heinlein standards!