IBM perfecting Racetrack memory, the future is coming
Written by admin on April 11th, 2008 in Gadgets and Devices.
Researchers at IBM’s San Jose center have announced via the journal Science major progress in the development of its Racetrack memory initiative. If wholly successful, the technology will irrevocably change the data storage industry.
The technology is groundbreaking in quite a few ways. Like current flash memory there are, of course, no moving parts, meaning no clicks of death, no tiring spindles or worn out platters. With less parts moving, the chance of breakage dwindles significantly.
There is a key difference from its flash cousin though, namely that it has far less potential of wearing out. Current solid state memory carries with it a sort of expiration date. It’s always relative, but inevitably, the storage capacity will begin to fade and the memory will slip into senility.
Racetrack uses spinning electrons to store data (see, I told you it was the future), a process that allows for faster response times, massively increased storage capacities and lifespans rivaling their owners. The downside? Ten years. That’s at least how long you’ll have to wait before you start seeing technology like this in your devices, so mark your calendars, 2020 should be a great year for technology.
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