Communications of the ACM
Phase Change Memory-Based 'moneta' System Points to the Future of Computer Storage
A view of the internals of the Moneta storage array with phase change memory modules installed.
Photo courtesy of UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering
Researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) have developed Moneta, a phase-change memory (PCM) solid state storage device that is thousands of times faster than conventional hard drives and up to seven times faster than current solid-state drives (SSDs).
Moneta uses PCM, which stores data in the crystal structure of a metal alloy called a chalcogenide. SSDs have no moving parts, which makes them more energy efficient than conventional hard disk drives.
"Phase-change memory-based solid state storage devices will allow us to sift through all of this data, make sense of it, and extract useful information much faster," says UCSD professor Steven Swanson.
The PCM memory chips store data by switching the alloy between a crystalline and amorphous state, using heat and an electrical current. The chips read the data with a smaller current to determine which state the chalcogenide is in.
Swanson says the technology could be ready for market in a few years as improvements are made to the underlying phase-change system. "Moneta gives us a window into the future of what computer storage systems are going to look like, and gives us the opportunity now to rethink how we design computer systems in response," he says.
From UCSD News
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