| | | Intel and Micron: New memory chip is 1,000 times faster than NAND
2:15 pm ET July 28, 2015 (MarketWatch)
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By Don Clark Chip giants combine to create 3D Xpoint technology Intel Corp. and Micron Technology Inc. say they developed a new breed of memory chips that could bring dramatic performance gains to computers, smartphones and other kinds of high-tech products. The companies say the forthcoming chips will be up to 1,000 times faster than the NAND flash memory chips now used in most mobile devices, while storing 10 times more data than dynamic random access memory, or DRAM, chips that are another mainstay of electronics hardware. Their technology -- dubbed 3D Xpoint -- doesn't quite match the speed of the chips known as DRAMs. But unlike those chips -- and like NAND flash memory -- the new chips will retain data even after they're powered off, the companies say. "This is a whole new paradigm," said Mark Adams, Micron's president, predicting the technology will cause "a major disruption" in the $78.5 billion memory-chip market. Intel (INTC) and Micron (MU) executives predict the new chips' speed will spur new kinds of applications and greatly benefit others, particularly those that rely on finding patterns in large amounts of data, like voice recognition, financial fraud detection and the study of genes. An extended version of this report is available at WSJ.com. (http://www.wsj.com/articles/intel-micron-claim-memory-chip-breakthrough-1438099234) |
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