Future RAM may be light based?

[WMGroomAK]

In an article posted on HEXUS and the University of Victoria, Canada news page, chemists with the University of Victoria have developed a new material that will allow for the development of Light Induced Magnetoresistive RAM.  Compared to the current materials and standards used in RAM, the new material and LI-RAM would consume 10% less power, operates at a faster speed, has a higher durability and generates almost no heat.  From the UVic News post:

 

http://www.uvic.ca/science/home/home/news/current/uvic-chemist-patents-energy-efficient-computer-memory.php

 

Quote

Using light rather than electricity as the conductor of information is what makes LI-RAM unique. “The material in LI-RAM has the unusual quality of rapidly changing magnetic properties when hit with green light,” says Frank. This means that information can be processed and stored at the single molecule level, allowing for the development of universal memory—a technology that has, until now, been hypothetical.  

 

A more environmentally friendly form of RAM could have a powerful impact on energy consumption and waste management. Information communication technologies are now using about 10 per cent of the world’s total electricity. Meanwhile, discarded personal information and communications technology alone accounted for three million tonnes of hazardous e-waste world-wide in 2014. 

 

The PCT (Patent Cooperation Treaty) Patent Application for LI-RAM was filed in partnership with Green Centre Canada, who named their work on the technology as a top achievement for 2016. Frank is now working with international electronics manufacturers to optimize and commercialize the technology, which could find its way to consumers in the next 10 years.

 

Data storage for mobile phones, computers and electronics is just one way this technology can be used. “Potentially, this material could have other uses in medical imaging, solar cells and a range of nanotechnologies,” says Frank. “This is just the beginning.”

 

As this points out, there probably will not be a consumer technology based on this material for about 10 years (assuming something else doesn't come along that works better) but it could be interesting to see future computer technology based on using light instead of electricity to write bits to magnetic storage.  It sounds like this will allow for higher density magnetic storage as opposed to the current memory storage mediums.

 

HEXUS Article: http://hexus.net/tech/news/ram/104695-li-ram-conducts-information-via-light-instead-electricity/

[RadiatingLight]

2 minutes ago, WMGroomAK said:

there probably will not be a consumer technology based on this material for about 10 years

you forgot a zero on your 10 years.

 

I'm willing to bet my left nut that this will never come to market.

[ARikozuM]

1 minute ago, RadiatingLight said:

you forgot a zero on your 10 years.

 

I'm willing to bet my left nut that this will never come to market.

BUCKET LIST:

BECOME LANCE ARMSTRONG

 

Too soon?

[ARikozuM]

RGB will also be on the inside of RAM? What a world we live in.

[VerticalDiscussions]

This would be really cool to see. I wonder how many corporations would consider a theoretical 10% more efficient RAM as a worthy successor to their already Low Power RAM on mobile devices, but i suppose by using light they could perhaps shrink considerably the memory?

 

Just how much faster and how more long lasting it would be in the long run, especially on mobile devices i what i suppose to be the more pertinent question.

[WereCat]

6 minutes ago, ARikozuM said:

RGB will also be on the inside of RAM? What a world we live in.

In future we won't have PC with RGB. We will have RGB with PC.

[Bananasplit_00]

interesting tech, hope some big company picks up on it and gets to work so we can have this on the market before i die lol

[Doramius]

On an enterprise scale, using less power while generating less heat, while including higher durability with a speed increase provides significant justification to move to this technology.  While I can see this coming to enterprise sooner (more like 5 years), depending on the actual cost to produce, it could be longer than 10 years to consumer...if at all.

[vorticalbox]

50 minutes ago, VerticalDiscussions said:

This would be really cool to see. I wonder how many corporations would consider a theoretical 10% more efficient RAM as a worthy successor to their already Low Power RAM on mobile devices, but i suppose by using light they could perhaps shrink considerably the memory?

 

Just how much faster and how more long lasting it would be in the long run, especially on mobile devices i what i suppose to be the more pertinent question.

using light would allow you to massively increase store capacity. 

[Mira Yurizaki]

As cool as the idea of universal memory is, it presents another problem: security. It's reasonable to have decrypted data in RAM, where all you have to do to clear it is shut the power off (more or less). But what if it's now in "permanent storage"?

[ARikozuM]

Just now, M.Yurizaki said:

As cool as the idea of universal memory is, it presents another problem: security. It's reasonable to have decrypted data in RAM, where all you have to do to clear is shut the power off (more or less). But what if it's now in "permanent storage"?

Hopefully, the light is an "on/off" sort of thing. That way if the RAM is shut down, the bits are all zero.

[Mira Yurizaki]

1 minute ago, ARikozuM said:

Hopefully, the light is an "on/off" sort of thing. That way if the RAM is shut down, the bits are all zero.

But then it won't be universal memory.

[ARikozuM]

2 minutes ago, M.Yurizaki said:

But then it won't be universal memory.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_memory

 

That makes sense now. This is a theoretical product. 

[suchamoneypit]

1 hour ago, RadiatingLight said:

you forgot a zero on your 10 years.

 

I'm willing to bet my left nut that this will never come to market.

If i'm on the forum in 50 years and this happens I'll be back for that nut, buddy.

[VerticalDiscussions]

11 minutes ago, vorticalbox said:

-snip-

Would like to see an explanation on how that works :p.

[vorticalbox]

Just now, VerticalDiscussions said:

Would like to see an explanation on how that works :p.

from the article. 

 

Quote

This means that information can be processed and stored at the single molecule level,

if you're storing data at that level then you can store a lot of data in a small area. 

[VerticalDiscussions]

16 minutes ago, vorticalbox said:

-snip-

Oh that was the part that referenced to storage. Now explaining how all those laws work must be quite the challenge xD.

[Doramius]

56 minutes ago, VerticalDiscussions said:

Oh that was the part that referenced to storage. Now explaining how all those laws work must be quite the challenge xD.

I think Isaac Asimov explained them clearly:

 

1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.

    

2. A robot must obey orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.

    

3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

[Doobeedoo]

Very exciting. Just imagine, light based storage, efficiency and storage capacity aside, imagine potential speeds.

[iamdarkyoshi]

2 hours ago, RadiatingLight said:

you forgot a zero on your 10 years.

 

I'm willing to bet my left nut that this will never come to market.

Can I have your right nut while you're at it?

[VerticalDiscussions]

30 minutes ago, Doramius said:

-snip-

How is that related with LI-RAM xD? How exactly is the single molecule level affected by light in a way that it could increase potential storage of the RAM is what i asked :/.

 

How is RAM even a robot .-.?

[RGProductions]

ram already produces almost no heat?

[WMGroomAK]

1 minute ago, RGProductions said:

ram already produces almost no heat?

RAM does have heat production, just nowhere in the neighborhood of the CPU or GPU where it requires an active cooling solution. Most of the time you'll see a heat spreader over the RAM chips that are supposed to help to passively cool them.  

[ARikozuM]

19 minutes ago, RGProductions said:

ram already produces almost no heat?

At 3W a stick it isn't much, but put eight of them in a case and they can generate some noticeable heat.

[HelplmChoking]

VERY future RAM