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WorldWeird: IBM's hard disc replacement will store 3,000+ movies

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    • CommentAuthorKosmopolit
    • CommentTimeApr 12th 2008
     (1771.1)
    It's called racetrack memory and it's based on spintronics.

    http://www.gizmag.com.au/ibm-superfast-racetrack-memory/9151/

    IBM's new 'Racetrack' technology operates on the principle of moving streams of magnetic data up and down a vast series of tiny nanowires. Writing new data is done by passing electron spin momentum from one nanowire to another as electronic pulses push the strings of data up and down the nanowires at extreme speeds - and it's all done at an atomic scale.

    "It has been an exciting adventure to have been involved with research into metal spintronics since its inception almost 20 years ago with our work on spin-valve structures," said Dr. Stuart Parkin (pictured), a research fellow at the IBM Almaden Research Centre in San Jose. "The combination of extraordinarily interesting physics and spintronic materials engineering, one atomic layer at a time, continues to be highly challenging and very rewarding."

    Dr. Parkin claims that while Racetrack memory could be developed to create an MP3 player that could store as many as half a million songs, or 3,500 movies, it's what lies beyond our current expectations that's really exciting: "The promise of racetrack memory - for example, the ability to carry massive amounts of information in your pocket - could unleash creativity leading to devices and applications that nobody has imagined yet."

    When will we see this next storage revolution hitting the market? IBM has no comment but to say the release "could be closer than you think."
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      CommentAuthorVespers
    • CommentTimeApr 13th 2008
     (1771.2)
    Okay, that's pretty cool. I'm wondering if because it stores data in the 'spin' of a particular electron it requires a constant uninterrupted power supply though, ie. more subject to total data loss because of power loss than a hdd or flash? Skim of the press release mentions nought, then again, I'm shit at physics, so, I'm probably just wrong anyway.

    I like living in the future.
  3.  (1771.3)
    It's nice to know people are truly asking the question, "How much space does a 1 or 0 really take up?"
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      CommentAuthorJoe Paoli
    • CommentTimeMay 3rd 2008
     (1771.4)
    Saw this article last week. This stuff has promise, but they've pretty much only done proof of concept and the actual deployment could be as far as a decade away. Sadly.

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