Intel & Micron to move new class of non-volatile memory to production
The statement that the two companies have released does not provide a great deal of technical information, but this announcement appears to herald the commercialisation of phase change memory, in which the state of the 1-bit cell is determined by the resistance across a cell. Applying a low voltage to the cell allows its present value to be read; a higher voltage forces the cell to switch from one state (phase) to another: between higher or lower resistance states.
Phase change memories have been the subject of research for many years and have been a leading contender to provide the long-sought combination of speed, density and non-volatility that is desired to succeed DRAM and flash. There is a wide choice of materials available and researchers have sought to make the bi-state memory cell stable, repeatable in its transition, and manufacturable in conventional processes.
The structure that Intel/Micron outline is claimed to offer the necessary speed, to be manufacturable on a matrix layout with x-and y-oriented bit and word lines, and with a memory cell at each cross point – hence the name. Memory cells can therefore be individually addressed, giving freedom to write, erase or partition memory at any chosen level of granularity. “With a small cell size, fast switching selector, low-latency cross point array, and fast write algorithm, the cell is able to switch states faster than any existing non-volatile memory technologies today”, the companies say.
Further, layers of such cell arrays can be stacked (the ‘3D’ part of the name); the graphic accompanying the release appears implies that the (metal?) addressing lines that provide the top contacts to one ‘layer’ will also be address lines contacting the bottom of the next layer: if so, very high densities should be feasible while keeping process steps in reasonable limits. “The initial technology stores 128 Gb per die across two memory layers. Future generations of this technology can increase the number of memory layers, in addition to traditional lithographic pitch scaling, further improving system capacities,” the statement adds.
In saying that the memory, “significantly reduces latencies, allowing much more data to be stored close to the processor and accessed at speeds previously impossible for non-volatile storage” the two companies’ disclosure may also hint at significant amounts of non-volatile memory being fabricated tightly-connected to processor cores.
An obvious question, given the amount that Intel recently agreed to pay to acquire Altera is; If 3D XPoint memory is non-volatile: high-density: bit-wise re-writable: and long-endurance, as claimed – can you use it as the configuration memory of an FPGA in place of SRAM or flash? Beyond that, it would be possible to speculate on the possibilities of combination of FPGA, and processor cores plus large amounts of unified, close-coupled non-volatile memory acting as the repository of all of configuration, data and workspace.
Intel/Micron’s release provides minimal indication on the likely first market appearance of the technology, and does not say if the material ‘in production’ is early product, or test wafers: only offering that 3D Xpoint, “will sample later this year [2015] with select customers, and Intel and Micron are developing individual products based on the technology.”
The text that follows (next page) is edited from the Intel/Micron text as-released;
Intel Corporation and Micron Technology, Inc. today (28th July) unveiled 3D XPoint technology, a non-volatile memory that has the potential to revolutionize any device, application or service that benefits from fast access to large sets of data. Now in production, 3D XPoint technology is a major breakthrough in memory process technology and the first new memory category since the introduction of NAND flash in 1989.
The explosion of connected devices and digital services is generating massive amounts of new data. To make this data useful, it must be stored and analyzed very quickly, creating challenges for service providers and system builders who must balance cost, power and performance trade-offs when they design memory and storage solutions. 3D XPoint technology combines the performance, density, power, non-volatility and cost advantages of all available memory technologies on the market today. The technology is up to 1,000 times faster and has up to 1,000 times greater endurance than NAND, and is 10 times denser than conventional memory.
"For decades, the industry has searched for ways to reduce the lag time between the processor and data to allow much faster analysis," said Rob Crooke, senior vice president and general manager of Intel’s Non-Volatile Memory Solutions Group. "This new class of non-volatile memory achieves this goal and brings game-changing performance to memory and storage solutions."
"One of the most significant hurdles in modern computing is the time it takes the processor to reach data on long-term storage," said Mark Adams, president of Micron. "This new class of non-volatile memory is a revolutionary technology that allows for quick access to enormous data sets and enables entirely new applications."
As the digital world quickly grows – from 4.4 zettabytes of digital data created in 2013 to an expected 44 zettabytes by 2020 – 3D XPoint technology can turn this immense amount of data into valuable information in nanoseconds. For example, retailers may use 3D XPoint technology to more quickly identify fraud detection patterns in financial transactions; healthcare researchers could process and analyze larger data sets in real time, accelerating complex tasks such as genetic analysis and disease tracking.
The performance benefits of 3D XPoint technology could also enhance the PC experience, allowing consumers to enjoy faster interactive social media and collaboration as well as more immersive gaming experiences. The non-volatile nature of the technology also makes it a great choice for a variety of low-latency storage applications since data is not erased when the device is powered off.
New Recipe, Architecture for Breakthrough Memory Technology
Following more than a decade of research and development, 3D XPoint technology was built from the ground up to address the need for non-volatile, high-performance, high-endurance and high-capacity storage and memory at an affordable cost. It ushers in a new class of non-volatile memory that significantly reduces latencies, allowing much more data to be stored close to the processor and accessed at speeds previously impossible for non-volatile storage.
The innovative, transistor-less cross point architecture creates a three-dimensional checkerboard where memory cells sit at the intersection of word lines and bit lines, allowing the cells to be addressed individually. As a result, data can be written and read in small sizes, leading to faster and more efficient read/write processes.
3D XPoint technology will sample later this year with select customers, and Intel and Micron are developing individual products based on the technology.
Intel/Micron www.intel.com / www.micron.com
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