Goodbye flash memory, hello "phase-change" memory?

If IBM, Macronix, and Qimond have their way, the now ubiquitous flash memory could soon be on its way out, replaced by the new-and-improved "phase-change" memory developed by the trio of companies. While complete details on this catchily-named new memory are under wraps until the big unveiling at this week's International Electronic Devices Meeting in San Francisco, according to the AFP, it's supposedly 500 to 1,000 times faster than conventional flash memory and uses about half as much power to boot. According to IBM senior manager Spike Narayan, that'll allow for the non-volatile memory to replace replace hard drives and pave the way for instant-on computers, as well as let you "carry your own fancy computer application in your hand." While these three memory makers aren't the first to jump on the phase change bandwagon, if those numbers are to be believed, their RAM would seem to seem to leave the others in the dust. Whether it's as fast to show up on the market or not, we'll have to wait and see.

[Brent @ Dec 11th 2006 2:50PM]

You seem to seem to have doubled some of your words...you might want to replace replace these mistakes with corrections.

Just trying to help!

[Matt B @ Dec 11th 2006 2:51PM]

This will be awesome.....in 5 years or more.

[I LOVE THE CAPS LOCK KEY @ Dec 11th 2006 2:52PM]

I wonder how many write cycles this thing is good for?

[bor_bor @ Dec 11th 2006 3:13PM]

There is no limit. Nice!

[Richard Lai @ Dec 11th 2006 2:52PM]

"to replace replace hard drives"

[I LOVE THE CAPS LOCK KEY @ Dec 11th 2006 2:52PM]

QUOTE:
"This will be awesome.....in 5 years or more."
No it would'nt


This would be awesome in 5 YEARS OR LESS!

[Digitalosh @ Dec 12th 2006 12:37AM]

I guess we can agree then that it would be awesome in 5 years.

[3rdsun @ Dec 11th 2006 2:56PM]

why all the redunduncy?..oh new intern doesn't know his grammer

[Digitalosh @ Dec 12th 2006 12:47AM]

At least he doesnt spell redundancy or grammar wrong. Jackass.

[diulei @ Dec 11th 2006 2:56PM]

Sweeet. Instant on anything these days would be nice. My Nokia N80 takes almost as long as a computer to boot.

[Christian Martin @ Dec 11th 2006 3:00PM]

I'm looking forward looking forward to further developments in this in this technology. Phase-change memory, while rather Star Trek-sounding, looks to looks to be to be quite promising quite promising.

[Zorque @ Dec 11th 2006 3:00PM]

I just hope it's cheaper than flash as well.

[BradStar @ Dec 11th 2006 3:04PM]

It does sound somewhat Star Trekish...

All I know is that I'm kinda upset I bought all those huge flash sticks that are all but outdated already.

[Matt @ Dec 11th 2006 3:20PM]

Let's just hope there's some sort of standard format for these. The sooner we do away with the absurd variety of flash cards out there, the better.

[Will @ Dec 11th 2006 3:21PM]

"...and uses about half as much power to boot."

Are we talking to boot as in activate, or to boot as in "in addition to"? :P

[disciple83 @ Dec 11th 2006 3:24PM]

the phase change stuff doesn't seem so star trekish if you have an idea about what it actually does. It isn't changing anything from liquid to gas or solid to liquid or anything, but using electrons to line up crystalline molecules, (using their new alloy), to create high-resistance pathways to the storage cells.

[disciple83 @ Dec 11th 2006 3:24PM]

I am guessing thats how it works anyway, I read it somewhere.

[crackpipe @ Dec 11th 2006 4:08PM]

this just in: Phanse-Change memory was just replaced replaced by Supra-Crystal memory... in the second it took to write that, Supra-Crystal memory was replaced replaced by Zero-Point-Quantam-Reversal Memory... crap which was just now replaced replaced by Non-Matter Memory... oops, humanity replaced replaced by the Singularity...

[Katharine P. @ Dec 11th 2006 4:22PM]

QUOTE:

"3rdsun @ Dec 11th 2006 2:55PM
why all the redunduncy?..oh new intern doesn't know his grammer"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

and 3rdsun doesn't know his spelling?? it's grammar, not grammer...

[Katharine P. @ Dec 11th 2006 4:23PM]

it's also redundancy, not redunduncy... hahaha

[jbhitter24 @ Dec 11th 2006 4:46PM]

im still holding out for quantum memory...

[Sean @ Dec 11th 2006 5:05PM]

Where is our MRAM already?

[Randy Maas @ Dec 11th 2006 5:08PM]

How long till we see this new stuff? About when memory makers feel they've sucked our wallets dry enough with the old stuff. Same ol sh*t, different product.

[Z @ Dec 11th 2006 7:33PM]

Phase Change memory? Instant on computers? Up to 1000 times faster than current flash memory? Non-volatile? Replacement for HDD's (or as I like to call them, "snail-drives")?

Bring it on!!!

[resource @ Dec 11th 2006 8:30PM]

I'll be a 30 year old dinosaur using Windows Vista SP 5 when this swings around.

[tekdroid @ Dec 12th 2006 7:22AM]

No cost or time-to-market projections. Sounds to me like they're just scratching the surface but have some important economic/ mass production questions to answer.

Then again they could all surprise me. Promising nonetheless.

[zach @ Dec 12th 2006 1:32PM]

The actual type of memory mentioned here may be 10 years or so off, but the pricipal of computers without hard drives isn't. Flash memory is becoming a lot cheaper and faster. That's why all these mini-hard drives you heard about never really made their way to the mobile arena, because they used flash instead (for example, the nano). Anyway, we should start seeing computers without hard drives soon. Probably start on the mac-mini.

[kaloyan @ Jan 9th 2007 5:39AM]

It is spelled Qimonda ...

[Isaias Tewelde Habte @ Jan 14th 2008 4:52PM]

Yeppppp, instant on, durable, data retention, faster.......is expected to replace flash and RAM......I hope we gonna see in the coming 2 years. By the way Intel told us that they will produce sample of PCM by the end of 2007. Did you hear anything yet? Any body who assess the testing of PCM? The disturbs and other faults.