IBM’s ‘Racetrack’ memory is faster, cheaper than flash memory

Just when flash-based solid state drives are becoming the norm, IBM has developed a new type of solid state memory, dubbed “Racetrack”, that pretty much makes flash memory look obsolete. The new technology uses spintronics, which uses the spin of electrons to encode data rather than the electrons’ charge. The bits of data are stored in the magnetic domain walls along the silicon nanowire, or racetrack, thus allowing for super fast data transfers. The method allows for more energy efficient, faster, larger, and cheaper solid state memory — all while maintaining the same amount of “space” of current drives. In fact, according to IBM, the new Racetrack memory is capable of reading and writing data in less than a nanosecond and could provide up to 100x more storage than currently available drives on the market.

IBM’s new technology comes as a solution to the rather high failure rate of current solid state drives. Just like flash memory, Racetrack memory contain no moving parts what-so-ever; but unlike flash, the new memory can be rewritten to an endless amount of times without affecting the lifespan of the memory. Unfortunately, no matter how exciting the new memory system is, the technology is still in research. IBM estimates that it will take two to four years to build a prototype. However, it will take about six to seven years before the new memory reaches the mainstream market. I can’t wait for terabyte-sized portable devices!

Continue reading for a video of IBM’s explanation of how spintronics works.

Read [DailyTech]