Intel to Sample Flash-killer PRAM This Year

Station writes "Intel's new phase-change memory technology (PRAM) will begin sampling this year. Samsung, IBM, and Hitachi are all working on phase-change memory as a successor to flash as it has a lower (~20ns) read latency than flash (50-90ns). 'Intel says they plan to ship the first PRAM modules as a straight-ahead NOR flash replacement so that they can work the kinks out of the design before trying to move it up the memory hierarchy. The company claims a much higher number of read-write cycles (100 million) than flash, as well as a potential 10 years' worth of data retention. NOR flash is typically used as program storage memory for mobile devices like cell phones, while more durable but slower NAND flash is used for mass storage in devices like the iPod nano.'"

Killer Pram?

Killer Pram? Won't somebody think of the children!!

Re:Killer Pram?

Yeah, it's going to be fun to go to the store here in the Netherlands and ask for a couple of "prammen". (slang for hooters :-) )

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Oh great, yet another "iPod killer."

-Eric

more acronym confusion...(at least for mac users)

one of the later steps in fixing technical glitches in mac systems is to zap the pram..

imagine the confusion between 2 friends when one says "i zapped my pram" .. one fixes your computer, the other breaks your flash device..

If you think that's confusing...

In the UK, "pram" means a baby stroller.

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That's nothing. pram [wikipedia.org] is a type of ship too. Won't someone think of the pirates [hastingssc.org]??!

Unless they make PRAM out of PRAM

one of the later steps in fixing technical glitches in mac systems is to zap the pram..

PRAM being "parameter RAM", the nonvolatile memory used to store the Mac equivalent of BIOS settings. To "zap" it means to change all settings back to factory settings by holding Command+Option+P+R while turning on the power.

imagine the confusion between 2 friends when one says "i zapped my pram" .. one fixes your computer, the other breaks your flash device..

Unless Apple starts using PRA

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holding Command+Option+P+R while turning on the power.

Is that four keys? As well as turning on the power? Do Mac users needing to wipe their BIOS have to grow an extra arm?

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Alternately you can just use one hand and do the metal "devil horns" sign (thumb on cmd-opt, index on R, pinky on P).

Re:more acronym confusion...(at least for mac user

Isn't that one of the Mac repair myths? Repairing permissions and PRAM resetting are two things that are often recommended even though it usually doesn't fix anything. I haven't heard of anything that was fixed by doing either.

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The PRAM used to be used to store a lot more in the pre-OS X days. Resetting it used to actually fix a few things caused by badly behaved system extensions. These days, it's a lot like clearing the CMOS contents on a PC; unlikely to change anything unles

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Resetting the PMU often does fix things. I had a machine that was overheating after about an hour of use and then crashing. Resetting the PMU made it turn the fans on at the correct time and keep working.

How does this compare to NOR flash in other ways?

Will it be cheaper per megabyte than current NOR flash?
Will it mean that devices like mobile phones (or devices like the Lego Mindstorms which also stores programs/data on NOR flash) can have more memory space in them?

Re:How does this compare to NOR flash in other way

Generally speaking, cost will be similar to NOR flash, if volume manufacturing picks up, and especially if Intel, Samsung, and other biggies get into the act. The key questions to ask are reliability/life of data and speed (and power consumption, if it is

Obligatory Monty Python Reference...

Do they like to push it a lot?

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Let's not go there... It's a silly place.

-jcr

A day late and a dollar short

Flash is now fairly cheap, it's in widespread use and it's a known quantity. Good luck trying to replace it.

Re:A day late and a dollar short

If their designs are pin compatible, good luck not not replacing it.

Let's see faster, more durable, *and* drop in compatible? Short of insane license requirements I can't see it being a no sale.

Tom

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So were 5.25", 3.5" floppies, zip disks, cd-rw, dvd-rw etc. If the cost is right and the benefits are great enough it will be adopted. If they package it in similar formats to that flash currently uses (eg. usb sticks, sd cards) for portable storage, and

Bad news for Atmel?

I hope this doesn't kill ATMEL, I really like their AVR microcontrollers. That would be sad.

Interesting.. but the page doesnt talk about...

speed or latency.. (and what about heat exchange issues?)

even with considerably slow throughput though.. it might be have useful applications in storage media..

i'd love to replace a set of hot spinning platters with a tiny cartridge about the size of a gam

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From TFA:

I haven't been able to find any access time numbers for Intel's PRAM technology, but competing technology from Hitachi boasts a 20ns read latency. This is much better than the 50ns to 90ns read latency typical of flash memory, but it's not even c

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3D stacking is so yesterday. I want RAM that's stacked in 4D, so I can get tomorrow's lottery numbers today.

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Well, at least Intel didn't "UNLEASH flash-killer!". God, I hate it when all the time someone "unleashes" something. Next marketdroid who uses that word will see me unleashing a load of urine in his eye.

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You keep your wang on a leash?