World's first Content Addressable Memory stores data without using power
43 replies, posted
[release][img]http://www.zeitnews.org/images/stories/withthenewte.jpg[/img]
NEC Corporation and Tohoku University announced today the development of the world's first content addressable memory (CAM) that both maintains the same high operation speed and non-volatile operation as existing circuits when processing and storing data on a circuit while power is off.
NEC's new CAM is a part of spintronics logic integrated circuit technologies that utilize the negative properties of electrons together with the spin magnetic moment. The new CAM utilizes the vertical magnetization of vertical domain wall elements in reaction to magnetic substances in order to enable data that is processing within the CAM to be stored on a circuit without using power. This contrasts to conventional technologies that required data to be stored within memory. As a result, data can be saved on circuits even when power is cut from the CAM.
In recent years, the use of ICT equipment has steadily increased due to the widespread growth of cloud computing. Most existing equipment requires a short amount of time to get started and internal circuits remain active when the equipment is in standby mode. Therefore, the growing consumption of power by ICT equipment in standby mode has become a serious concern.
Use of the new CAM in combination with existing nonvolatile memory is related to greater non-volatility of CPU for electronics and other storage devices. Furthermore, use of this new CAM enables the development of electronics that start instantly and consume zero electricity while in standby mode.
Key features of these newly developed technologies:
• High-speed data retrieval
In order for CAM to be both nonvolatile and maintain a high speed, two spintronics devices, spinning in opposite directions to one another, were connected within the same cell. In terms of constructing the circuit, writing is done once by connecting two devices in a series using recently developed three pin particles that separate the current path into writing and reading.
This new process enables cells to become more compact since the number of writing switches per element is reduced by one. Moreover, the new CAM achieve the same level of high-speed data retrieval as current CMOS based CAM that feature 5ns and low power consumption of 9.4mW.
• Approximately half the circuit area in comparison to existing technologies
In addition to the vertical domain wall element can connect in series by separating the route of current into reading and writing, the newly developed CAM circuit technologies can reduce the number of transistors from eight to three in every two cells by sharing transistors. This results in a 50% CAM area reduction.
NEC developed nonvolatile particles aiming for both greater convenience and energy conservation. Additionally, NEC and Tohoku University developed a simulation technology for a circuit diagram including spintronics particles in parallel with designing technologies for massively large integrated circuits for developments involving the most advanced spintronics logic integrated circuits.
NEC and Tohoku University will announce their latest results on June 17 at VLSI Circuit Symposium 2011 (June 13-17, Kyoto).
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[url=http://www.zeitnews.org/engineering-and-computer-science-research/worlds-first-content-addressable-memory-stores-data-without-using-power.html]Source[/url]
I want. Right now.
I don't really see a use for this.
I guess it might be attractive to bozos who unplug their computer without saving their crappy Word document.
Sometimes it's good for your own safety to have volatile RAM.
It's data density mang. All about the data density.
[QUOTE=keroba;30498646]Sometimes it's good for your own safety to have volatile RAM.[/QUOTE]
as long as there is some sort of hard reset ability it would still be safe, no?
-snip-
[QUOTE=PvtCupcakes;30498601]I don't really see a use for this.
I guess it might be attractive to bozos who unplug their computer without saving their crappy Word document.[/QUOTE]
Ever heard about little something called portable computers?
They usually use something called a battery. And the something called a battery holds only limited amount of something called energy.
So wait a minute.
If this is basically RAM that can store information without drawing any power, and if like RAM it can be written/rewritten indefinitely (well nearly anyway), couldn't better, faster, longer-lasting SSDs come out of this?
[QUOTE=Mattk50;30498548][release][img]http://www.zeitnews.org/images/stories/withthenewte.jpg[/img][/QUOTE]
What a badass
[QUOTE=Zero-Point;30503252]So wait a minute.
If this is basically RAM that can store information without drawing any power, and if like RAM it can be written/rewritten indefinitely (well nearly anyway), couldn't better, faster, longer-lasting SSDs come out of this?[/QUOTE]
Yep
And don't forget more expensive!
[QUOTE=Awesomecaek;30503018]Ever heard about little something called portable computers?
They usually use something called a battery. And the something called a battery holds only limited amount of something called energy.[/QUOTE]
It would also be great for desktops, possibly servers(?) during a power failure.
[QUOTE=ExplodingGuy;30504813]It would also be great for desktops, possibly servers(?) during a power failure.[/QUOTE]
[i]Amazing[/i] for servers.
I can certainly see this technology going very far and I can only imagine how much it'll be implemented with any data collection project. Power is a big issue with any form of long term data collection and this could provide some large strides in that area.
[QUOTE=ThatHippyMan;30505000][i]Amazing[/i] for servers.[/QUOTE]
Power outage isn't a problem for servers. Data centers typically have multiple power lines and a battery backup system. If the power goes out the backup gives the servers enough time to shut off properly.
[QUOTE=PvtCupcakes;30498601]I don't really see a use for this.
I guess it might be attractive to bozos who unplug their computer without saving their crappy Word document.[/QUOTE]
server infrastructure, phone and portable computers, gaming systems, hell, anything with a processor and a function would be better with one of these.
And less to no power means little to no heat.
[QUOTE=HeadshotDCS;30506639]And less to no power means little to no heat.[/QUOTE]
It means no heat at all.
Permanent RAM disk anyone?
[QUOTE=Tobba;30506871]Permanent RAM disk anyone?[/QUOTE]
More like RAM Hard-drive.
EDIT: oh wait... Maybe it can be used for storage and work as RAM.
[QUOTE=keroba;30498646]Sometimes it's good for your own safety to have volatile RAM.[/QUOTE]
Yeah, especially when the FBI comes knocking at your door...
[QUOTE=ruarai;30507446]I think like how you fully clear a hard drive, it'd just fill it will mumbo-jumbo to reset it.[/QUOTE]
Filling a HD with garbage data, even through multiple passes still won't make the data that was previously on there unrecoverable. There are data forensic techniques that were developed and used to circumvent this.
The only true way to destroy the data on a HD would be complete magnetic and physical destruction.
[QUOTE=Master117;30507804]Filling a HD with garbage data, even through multiple passes still won't make the data that was previously on there unrecoverable. There are data forensic techniques that were developed and used to circumvent this.
The only true way to destroy the data on a HD would be complete magnetic and physical destruction.[/QUOTE]
Even if I do 35 passes?
I wanna scream HAX so badly.
Everytime I hear of a breakthrough that boggles the mind I want to believe the earth is inside a computer whose rules are being dynamically re-written.
[QUOTE=luck_or_loss;30507950]Even if I do 35 passes?[/QUOTE]
Yes., even then.
[QUOTE=HeadshotDCS;30508395]Yes., even then.[/QUOTE]
How?
[QUOTE=ManningQB18;30503920]Yep
And don't forget more expensive![/QUOTE]
Current SSDs are technically more expensive than whatever drive they come out with that uses this technology, seeing as they not only cost alot of money, but they don't last long. You currently spend like $200-1500 on a HDD that won't last nearly as long as one of these, which as far as I've read will last nearly indefinitely barring poor manufacturing.
5 nanosecond access times :byodood:
That's... bloody amazing.
[QUOTE=ze beaver;30509846]5 nanosecond access times :byodood:
That's... bloody amazing.[/QUOTE]
Too long
Tell me when it's half a nanosecond :V:
Obligatory :science:
[IMG]http://i52.tinypic.com/34ta136.png[/IMG]
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