Phase Change Memory: The Next Big Thing in Data Storage?

[ Thanks to Paul Shread for this link. ]

"Phase change memory (PCM) — an emerging non-volatile technology pioneered by Intel (NASDAQ: INTC), Numonyx, Samsung and others — could turn out to be a low-cost, more reliable, faster, and just plain better alternative to flash memory (see I/O Bottlenecks: Biggest Threat to Data Storage).

"Some industry insiders even believe PCM has the potential to accelerate the data storage market's slow transition from hard disk drives (HDDs) to solid state drives (SSDs).

"One of the believers is Ed Doller, the chief technology officer of Numonyx, a joint venture created by Intel and STMicroelectronics.

""PCM is a very promising alternative to flash that should allow the industry to continue the transition from HDDs to SSDs with confidence," says Doller. Early Days for PCM

"However, PCM is still at the fab stage, and the technology faces a number of issues still. When will Numonyx and Samsung (which is developing market specs for PCM products with Numonyx) deliver products in commercial quantities? Will the cost of the products be price-competitive with flash memory?"

Complete Story

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