IBM Phase Change Memory (PCM) Is 100x Faster Than Flash

IBM engineers have developed a new kind of phase change memory (PCM) which is at least 100 times faster than traditional flash memory. The announcement comes as a milestone achievement after the company celebrated its 100th year of existence. The IBMers have been able to improve both read-write speed of the new memory by huge amounts. What's so special about PCM is that it is very cheap to manufacture and can be comfortably used in enterprise level servers to mobile phones.

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IBM PCM. Image Credit: IBM

The phase change technology is relatively new to the memory domain. PCM boasts ability to store multiple data bits per cell for longer periods of time. IBM says that their engineers were researching for a universal, non-volatile memory technology which can outperform the traditional flash memory in terms of speed, durability and reliability. The PCM can read/write data 100 times faster than flash and boast even higher storage capacities. In addition the PCM won't lose the memory when the power is turned off. IBM further mentions that it the new technology enables them to build PCM with 10 million write cycles, compared to current enterprise-class Flash at 30,000 cycles or consumer-class Flash at 3,000 cycles. To achieve these capabilities, IBM researchers from Zurich labs advanced modulation coding techniques to take care of short term drift in multi-bit PCM.

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