Blog: H.P. Sees a Revolution in Memory Chip

H.P. Sees a Revolution in Memory Chip
New York Times (04/07/10) Markoff, John

Hewlett-Packard (HP) researchers have developed a new class of small switches called memristors designed to replace transistors as computer chips get smaller. Memristors are simpler than existing semiconducting transistors and can be used for both data processing and storage applications. The new design could allow engineers to stack thousands of switches in a high-rise fashion, leading to a new class of ultra-dense computing devices. Memristor-based systems could also lead to the development of analog computing systems that function more like biological brains. "The memristor technology really has the capacity to continue scaling for a very long time, and that's really a big deal," says HP's Stan Williams. The technology is based on the ability to use an electrical current to move atoms within an ultrathin film of titanium dioxide. IBM, Intel, and other companies are pursuing a different approach, called phase-change memory. Phase-change memory uses heat to shift a glassy material from an amorphous to a crystalline state and back.

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