FeTRAM: A New Idea to Replace Flash Memory

[Guest]

Researchers at Purdue University are developing a new type of memory that is promised to be faster and less energy intensive than Flash.

FeTRAM: A New Idea to Replace Flash Memory : Read more

 

[amk-aka-Phantom]

Cool story.

Back in 2004, I wrote an article for Tom's Hardware that discussed possible successors for flash.

You're trolling Tom's for SEVEN YEARS? Wow.

 

[back_by_demand]

IBM has been researching a replacement for NAND for years under "Racetrack". Considering how much money IBM pours into R&D and the relatively large headstart they have I expect IBM to produce a working product before these guys.

 

[DSpider]

1988-2011 is 23 years. Just sayin', it's a 23 yo technology. 😉

 

[Guest]

[citation][nom]dspider[/nom]1988-2011 is 23 years. Just sayin', it's a 23 yo technology.[/citation]

flash memory, which was first shown by Intel in 1988 in the shape of a shoebox-sized 256 Kb NOR flash board and was followed by a NAND version produced by Toshiba one year later.

the now 22-year old NAND technology.

1989-2011 is 22 years. Just sayin', reading comprehension.

 

[aldaia]

Reading that article some people may think that Flash was invented by intel. Flash memory was invented by Dr. Fujio Masuoka while working for Toshiba around 1980. As far as I know Intel produced the first commercial Flash.

Though there are exceptions (It took only 8 years from invention to commercial Flash), I tend to be a bit skeptical regarding commercial production of novel memory technologies. In the last years I've read about all types of Flash replacements: FeRAM, MRAM, PRAM, CBRAM, SONOS, RRAM, Racetrack, Millipede, NRAM. Flash however is still dominant. Some memory types have been in development for many years. Development of FeRAM began in the late 1980s. MRAM has been under development since the 1990s. PRAM concept dates from the 1960s (Gordon Moore, co-founder of Intel, published an article on the technology in 1970). SONOS was also conceptualized in the 1960s.

I'll really be happy to be proved wrong, but based on past record, I don't expect commercial FeTRAM until 2020s (assuming we ever see a commercial FeTRAM).

 

[Thunderfox]

They don't say anything about the two most important comparisons for any potential flash successor: Is it cheaper, and is it more reliable?

 

[mavroxur]

And the article mentions nothing about estimated gains, cost of manufacturing, possible down-sides, etc. What a useless article.

 

[nebun]

everything looks good in theory, let's make it happen

 

[gsacks]

Is it pronounced "feet-ram" ?

 

[jacobdrj]

[citation][nom]gsacks[/nom]Is it pronounced "feet-ram" ?[/citation]
Maybe it is fee-tram?

 

[Parsian]

What happened to Memresistor? I personally find them much more interesting:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memristor

 

[CaedenV]

More articles like this please! I love this cool potential stuff. Even if it never becomes reality (still waiting for hologram DVDs I heard about 10 years ago lol), it is still neat to hear about the directions and attempts people are making.

 

[Guest]

What happened to Memresistor? I personally find them much more interesting:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memristor

There are stories on other sites about an HP announcement saying 18 months to market. Probably show up here next week or so.

 

[JOSHSKORN]

[citation][nom]jacobdrj[/nom]Maybe it is fee-tram?[/citation]
Maybe it's Happy Feet RAM?