Before now, all computers and electronics with brains runs on data-storing hard disks and random access memories or flash memories, which saves and recalls data based on the digital binary technology of 0 and 1. Although we have super computers which perform more complex tasks million times faster than the conventional personal computers, Hewlett-Packard has just built a miniaturized device which in effect surpasses all that has been in existence in the computing world. The memristor has been engineered to render the existing flash memory systems of the present-day computers obsolete.
What Technology does the Memristor Possess?
The memristor works by measuring and remembering how much current passes through it. Sounds funny right?, then read on. By simply alternating the flow of current through it, a memristor stands out as a one-element circuit component with super-circuitry qualities. Breaking it down, a memristor can comfortable save its electronic state even when the power is switch off. This makes it a veritable replacement for today’s flash memories upon which computers are currently built on.
According to Hewlett-Packard HP, the memristor is engineered to be cheaper and faster than flash memories with a denser memory capability. Becoming a replacement for computer RAM chips would make it possible for the new memristor-based computers to remember exactly what you were doing before power went off, and return perfectly to it. With such memristor features as affordability, smaller size and weight and greater memory efficiency, we could begin to have more affordable, compact and solid-state computers that fits your budget and run much more faster than any super computer currently in use.
When to expect the Memristor-Based Computers
Memristors researchers have said that the device is fully functional and ready to be integrated into the electronic circuitry. However, the considered the business aspect of this new technological invention as what may resultantly delay its full release into the business technology applications. Surprisingly, technology reports indicates that electronic gadgets running on memristor technology is already in use globally. These memristors currently consume less power than their former flash memory counterparts apart from faster memory save and recall.
Between 2014 to 2016, we shall begin to see a whole memory unit of computers which consists of the DRAM and Hard disks being replaced by memristors. We are therefore in the era of memristor-based computers in our world.
