First floppy disks formed the mainstay of nonvolatile rewritable memory then, Flash memory took on changing the realm for better, but soon the two may be forgotten, as the time is here to make way for the fast performance memory device of the future - the phase change memory.
Phase change memory a brainchild of a Lithuanian-American scientist named Stanford R. Ovshinsky has been in development since the 1960’s, but its new version the phase change random access memory (PRAM) is a new form of nonvolatile memory.
This potential replacement for the flash memory may take time to reach the masses, but rumors are strong of Intel and STMicroelectronics preparing to develop the new memory technology by the end of the year with Samsung having announced their production to be an actuality by 2008 - though, none of the mentioned has come out with the projected price.
Some rationale favoring PRAM
If you thought the flash memory was fast, the statistics in comparison of the two are overwhelming. This novel tech is nearly 100,000 times faster, with an increased write speed from 1ms to 10ns per byte. The flash memory can withstand 10,000 - 100,000 writes per sector, whereas the phase change memory touts of withstanding 100,000,000 writes per sector, which improvises on its previous trait of being fast, making it significantly durable too.
The loopholes
If the phase change memory is fast and durable, it has drawbacks too. Made out the same material as the rewritable CD’s and DVD’s, which is then formed into chips that are heated at about 600 Celsius - to churn the crystalline structure into an amorphous one. The high temperatures required for production accompanied by high voltages required to write data are certain factors that play foul on the new technology
Barring the environment, all considered, the advantages of the phase change memory seem to some how out weighed the demerits. If all goes as projected, the technology could soon show a landfill to its predecessors.
[Source: Uberreview]
