Munich, Germany ? June 22, 2004 ? Computers that don?t loose their data, even when the power supply fails; laptops with batteries that supply power for days without the need for recharging; handheld computers and cell phones with huge amounts of memory; and personal computers that, at the touch of a button, pick up again at the exact spot where you left off the day before - In just a few years, this vision of the future of computing could become reality.
The prerequisites for it are offered by new types of memory technologies that are intensive in research like the MRAM technology. At the prestigious VLSI Circuits Symposia in Hawaii, the German semiconductor manufacturer Infineon together with IBM have presented the most advanced prototype of this revolutionary computer memory made to date: The world?s first 16-Mbit Magneto-resistive RAM (MRAM) prototype. Unlike conventional computer chips, MRAM chips use magnetization to store information, instead of electrical charges. Up until now, computers had to continuously supply the main memory chips with power in order to store data. The information on MRAM memories, however, remains intact even after the system has been powered down. The working concept is similar to the way that data is stored on a computer?s hard disk drive. In addition, they are very fast, which enables exceptionally rapid access to data. For comparison: Infineon?s 16-Mbit MRAM chip is approximately 1,000 times faster than the non-volatile flash memory used in USB sticks, handheld computers and digital cameras. Furthermore, information can be stored in an MRAM memory cell up to one million times more often than is possible with flash memory. Official press release at Infineon
The prerequisites for it are offered by new types of memory technologies that are intensive in research like the MRAM technology. At the prestigious VLSI Circuits Symposia in Hawaii, the German semiconductor manufacturer Infineon together with IBM have presented the most advanced prototype of this revolutionary computer memory made to date: The world?s first 16-Mbit Magneto-resistive RAM (MRAM) prototype. Unlike conventional computer chips, MRAM chips use magnetization to store information, instead of electrical charges. Up until now, computers had to continuously supply the main memory chips with power in order to store data. The information on MRAM memories, however, remains intact even after the system has been powered down. The working concept is similar to the way that data is stored on a computer?s hard disk drive. In addition, they are very fast, which enables exceptionally rapid access to data. For comparison: Infineon?s 16-Mbit MRAM chip is approximately 1,000 times faster than the non-volatile flash memory used in USB sticks, handheld computers and digital cameras. Furthermore, information can be stored in an MRAM memory cell up to one million times more often than is possible with flash memory. Official press release at Infineon
