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IBM Creates Multi-Bit Phase Change Memory
Lucas123 writes "In what is likely to be a strong rival to NAND flash memory, IBM today announced it has been able to successfully store more than one bit of data per cell in a more stable non-volatile memory called phase-change memory (PCM). Unlike NAND, Previously, PCM couldn't contend with flash because of its low capacity points. PCM does not require that data be erased before new data is written to it, which reduces write amplification or wear out and it has 100 times the write performance of flash. IBM researchers say they plan to license the technology to memory manufacturers instead of producing it themselves."
Dad, tell us again about how you used to store your data on spinning disks....
I this story went up as I hit submit on it.
I do not have a sig. You are hallucinating.
we all know researchers don't take business decisions
they plan to license the technology to memory manufacturers instead of producing it themselves
This is code for 'send it to Asia.' HP is doing the same thing with their memristor based ReRAM, licensing it to Hynix. Guess we're all done building chip foundries anywhere in the West. As goes your manufacturing base, so goes your technology, just like we we're told would happen.
I like flash, in fact I just bought some SSDs, but it does have some problems that really need addressing long term. This stuff looks like maybe it'll be the solution. Also it looks pretty workable, it isn't pie in the sky. According to the article, PCM already exists and is in use. This is just an improvement on it. They also claim widespread use by 2016 of the new tech.
So here's hoping, this looks like it may be what we need to really kick off the move to solid state storage.
...much more efficient swap space! :) This sounds great.
I know it doesn't need to be erased in bulk, but does it need to be written in bulk, or does it have limited read or write cycles?
It's density+cost per bit that will change things. PCM is still orders of magnitude slower than SRAM and DRAM and the Memristor (HP) may still beat it to market for the aforementioned parameters. Nice that so many irons are in the fire to retire spinning rust, can't happen soon enough for me.
Organization? You must be joking..
The problem with flash memory is that it is inherently volatile. It is based off the storage of a static charge, and there is no such thing as a perfect insulator. During normal operation, you need a high current to tunnel through the insulator and store the charge, but that charge will slowly leak out on its own over time. Given enough time, the charge will drop below a threshold and be read incorrectly.
All microprocessor technologies suffer from this to some extent, and CPUs are expected to hit a wall dealing with this leakage in about 15 years. Flash memory is only expected to get one or two more process shrinks before this leakage is expected to cause problems on a useful time frame. At this point, flash memory will have to be refreshed like traditional DRAM more and more frequently. Online SSDs can afford this, but offline USB drives cannot. Now you can simply start stacking chips, but your costs will rise geometrically, and heat dissipation will become a problem. Flash will be unable to produce higher capacity at lower prices.
One of these new technologies will pan out in the near term, because with the current technology reaching the end of its life, the industry will have to transition to something new to continue to sell new product.
IBM no longer has anything whatsoever to do with Hard Drive manufacture, they sold that business to Hitachi years ago. IBM does sell storage equipment (quite a bit of it), but it contains drives made by somebody else.
Even if it stays more expensive, if solid state can get close (within a factor of 2, say) to the same cost for the same storage space it'll take off like wildfire given the tremendous speed and reliability advantages.
I don't think IBM is declining to actually manufacture the chips because they don't know how; rather it's because IBM doesn't have fabs large enough to make the chips in sufficient quantities. IBM's fabs are sized for CPU production, not mass-scale memory chip manufacture.
That's nice. The only nail that counts, will be the one where solid state is at least modestly cheaper for a given amount of space.
Mind you, I look forward to that nail, but until it gets here, it's not yet time to party.
For most users, disk storage is already much larger than needed. All that is needed is that an SSD have cheaper unit cost while still providing adequate storage. Even if it is still 4x the cost per byte, it won't matter because the extra storage isn't useful.
If you stick to performance available for single-digit watts, not much need for active cooling.
XML is like violence. If it doesn't solve the problem, use more.
This is pretty much how the AS/400 / iSeries works.
Am I the only one that saw the "up to 5 million write cycles...enterprise usage of 3,00 write cycles per hour" as a pretty fail example? By their own statement that's 70 days of life in that use case....
Just like hard disks, flash memory cost capacity is tied to materials engineering - in case of flash memory it is the insulating material in the cells. In the next 15 years, I'm sure there will newer materials or material configurations found that will enable process shrinks. Right now leakage is not a problem since the data lifetime is estimated to be around 15 years. Also, flash memory is manufactured in a slightly different method than CPUs or other circuit boards.
Also, flash memory can be used for multiple bits per cell as the electronics mechanisms of reading and writing data are improved; interference can be minimized and other techniques to increase cell density can be used.
I think there is possibilities that could enable flash memory to dramatically decrease in cost per bit.
Yet another obscure company who sells licenses but doesn't make products, so they never have to pay anyone else or cross-license. Whoever heard of this "IB--" oh. Oh, them.
Bubble memory. I urge you to invest your fortune in that.
Fascism trolls keeping me up every night. When I starts a preachin', he HITS ME WITH HIS REICH!