You've got me reading more about phase change memory (PCM). I knew I had seen PCM somewhere before. This definitely looks like the future of flash and even built-in memory solutions.
"Like flash, phase-change memory is a non-volatile memory that can store bits even without a power supply. But unlike flash, data can be written to cells much faster, at rates comparable to the dynamic and static random-access memory (DRAM and SRAM) used in all computers and cell phones today. Currently, Handy explains, computer- and cell-phone engineers use DRAM or SRAM combined with flash. DRAM and SRAM are used to read and write data quickly; flash is used to store data when the power is off. “Handset manufacturers are excited about phase-change memory,” Handy says, “because it looks like they could get rid of two of the chips [flash and DRAM] and replace them with one phase-change memory chip.”
Phase-change memory has made a lot of progress in the past few years, Wong adds. “A few years ago it looked promising,” he says. “But now it’s going to happen. There’s no doubt about it.”"
Wow, not only replacing flash memory because it is as fast as RAM, but also replacing RAM on a motherboard and cell-phones and who knows what. Talk about a great use of antimony!