Intel gives transistor-less cross point memory a name

Intel has given an indication at Intel Developer Forum (IDF) in San Francisco this week when the 3D XPoint non-volatile memory technology it has been developing with Micron, will appear in commercial products.

A range of solid state drives (SSDs) which implement the 3D memory technology will be introduced in 2016.

Intel has also given the non-volatile memory a new brand name, Optane.

Intel and Micron have made big claims for the non-volatile memory which they say will be up to 1,000 times faster and has up to 1,000 times greater endurance than NAND flash.

The companies also say it has the potential to have 10 times the density of conventional memory.

The “3D” memory is based on a new transistor-less cross point architecture which creates a three-dimensional checkerboard where memory cells sit at the intersection of word lines and bit lines, allowing the cells to be addressed individually.

The consequence of this, says Intel, is that data can be written and read in small sizes, leading to faster and more efficient read/write processes.

It seems the market will start putting the technology to the test when it sees first sample 128Gbit memory devices later this year and commercial production should follow in 2016 under the Optane brand.

 

 

 

Richard Wilson

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