| |
CX2SA > TECHNO 11.07.06 03:28l 72 Lines 3019 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : 21868_CX2SA
Read: DL1LCA GUEST
Subj: Magnetic memory chip unveiled
Path: DB0FHN<DB0FOR<DB0SIF<DB0EA<DB0RES<ON0AR<TU5EX<CX2SA
Sent: 060711/0119Z @:CX2SA.LAV.URY.SA #:21868 [Minas] FBB7.00e $:21868_CX2SA
From: CX2SA@CX2SA.LAV.URY.SA
To : TECHNO@WW
'Magnetic memory' chip unveiled
===============================
A microchip which can store information like a hard drive has been unveiled by
US company Freescale.
The chip, called magnetoresistive random-access memory (Mram), maintains data
by relying on magnetic properties rather than an electrical charge.
One analyst told the Associated Press news agency that the chip was the most
significant development in computer memory for a decade.
Mram chips could find their way into many different electronic devices.
The benefit of Mram chips is that they will hold information after power has
been switched off.
Freescale has been producing the four-megabit Mram chips at an Arizona factory
for two months to build up levels of stock.
A number of chip makers have been pursuing the technology for a decade or
more, including IBM, but Freescale is the first company to offer a chip with
practical usage for many of today's electronic devices.
'Radically new'
---------------
"This is the most significant memory introduction in this decade," said Will
Strauss, an analyst with research firm Forward Concepts.
"This is radically new technology. People have been dabbling in this for
years, but nobody has been able to make it in volume."
Unlike flash memory, which also can keep data without power, Mram has faster
read and write speeds and does not degrade over time.
Ram chips in most electronic devices, such as PCs, lose data when their power
is switched off.
Currently flash memory is used in portable devices such as MP3 players and for
portable storage in the form of small cards that are used in cameras.
Mram chips could one day be used in PCs to store an operating system, allowing
computers to start up faster when switched on.
Bob Merritt, an analyst with Semico Research, said memory chip manufacturers
were seeking technology that will be faster, smaller, cheaper and retain data
when the power is off.
"The older memory technologies are awkward to work with in a mobile computing
environment," Mr Merritt said.
"This is a significant step forward and absolutely critical for moving into
the smaller forms that consumers and industry want."
Freescale has been working on the technology for nearly a decade, said Saied
Tehrani, who runs the Austin-based company's Mram programme.
He said Freescale already had customers, but he declined to name any.
*******************************************************************
* CX2SA:BBS CX2SA-6:CLUSTER CX2SA-7:WX CX2SA-8:APRS/DIGI/IGATE *
*-----------------------------------------------------------------*
* HF: 7.040/14.107 KHz http://cx2sa.net E-Mail: cx2sa@cx2sa.net *
*-----------------------------------------------------------------*
* SysOp: Jose Maria Gonzalez Devitta Minas * Lavalleja * URUGUAY *
*******************************************************************
Read previous mail | Read next mail
| |
