Scientists from IBM, announced joint research results that give a major boost to a new type of computer memory with the potential to be the successor to flash memory chips, which are widely used in computers and consumer electronics like digital cameras and portable music players. Ever-smaller yet more powerful media players and cameras could be possible thanks to a new kind of memory that may replace flash, IBM scientists said Monday.
The so-called "phase-change" memory is 500 times faster and much smaller than flash chips, said IBM, which developed the new technology with Macronix and Qimonda. It is also "non-volatile," meaning that it maintains information even if power is disrupted.

 Flash chips make possible tiny but heavy-duty personal media devices like the iPod nano. Phase-change memory, which measures 3 by 20 nanometers, could result in even smaller yet more robust gadgets—perhaps encroaching on or even replacing the NAND flash market, which is expected to grow from about $17 billion in 2006 to $34 billion in 2010 (see They Wanna Hold Your NAND).

 "Phase-change memory has a very bright future," T.C. Chen, vice president of science and technology at IBM Research, said in a release. "Many expect flash memory to encounter significant scaling limitations in the near future."

Meanwhile, the new invention is expected to overcome problems like slow writing of data and degradation after 100,000 rewrites.

The phase-change memory chip is made out of a semiconductor alloy created just for this technology. This alloy, for which researchers have filed a patent, allows for faster "switching" of data, and can maintain data even at higher temperatures.

To be sure, flash memory is firmly entrenched in electronics designs.