Researchers Make RAM From a Phase Change We Don't Entirely Understand (arstechnica.com)

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: We seem to be on the cusp of a revolution in storage. Various technologies have been demonstrated that have speed approaching that of current RAM chips but can hold on to the memory when the power shuts off -- all without the long-term degradation that flash experiences. Some of these, like phase-change memory and Intel's Optane, have even made it to market. But, so far at least, issues with price and capacity have kept them from widespread adoption. But that hasn't discouraged researchers from continuing to look for the next greatest thing. In this week's edition, a joint NIST-Purdue University team has used a material that can form atomically thin sheets to make a new form of resistance-based memory. This material can be written in nanoseconds and hold on to that memory without power. The memory appears to work via a fundamentally different mechanism from previous resistance-RAM technologies, but there's a small hitch: we're not actually sure how it works. The two mechanisms used to change the resistance have been reported in the journal Nature Materials.

Comments

knowing how it works is nice, but not necessary

[Zero__Kelvin]

Every day we use things that work despite the fact that we, as individuals don't know how or why they work. In most cases someone knows how, but quite often we find out later that it doesn't work the way that person or group of people thought it worked. For example the brain works somehow, but nobody really knows how, despite the fact that we learn more and more about it as we go. So it is nice to understand how things work, but what is really important is that it actually works. I am if course not including Trump and his Trumptards, who clearly are the exception that proves the rule :-)