IBM Hops On “Racetrack” For Faster, Cheaper Memory

Boston (dbTechno) - IBM has announced that they are developing a new type of memory which will be faster, as well as cheaper than current hard drives and flash memory. The new solid-state memory is called “racetrack” and appears to be a thing of the future for computers.

The new “racetrack” solid-state memory will combine attributes of flash memory as well as common hard drives.

IBM has stated that this new memory reads 16 bits of data on one transistor. It is able to read and write data 100,000 times faster than even flash memory.

The way in which the “racetrack” memory works, is it stored data on atoms in magnetic nanowires.

Electrical charges cause the data to move along a pipe, allowing the data to be written and read extremely quickly. It is also virtually unbreakable as it has absolutely no moving parts. It will also never wear out.

The cheaper aspect comes in as IBM states that few transistors will be needed, meaning it will not require a lot to hold a large amount of data.

IBM is hopeful that within a few years, they will be able to provide these “racetrack” solid-state drives which can hold terabytes worth of data.

They expect it to take around two to four years for them to have a prototype ready to go. From there, it is likely that within the next 10 years, this could be the new standard, replacing common hard drives and flash drives.