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IBM makes world’s smallest magnetic memory bit

by Steven Williamson on 16 January 2012, 14:42

Tags: IBM (NYSE:IBM)

Quick Link: HEXUS.net/qabbfb

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IBM researchers claim to have fabricated the world’s smallest magnetic memory bit, which could pave the way for the production of denser forms of magnetic computer memory in the future.

Current PC hard drives require more than a million atoms per bit, but researchers have now created a single memory storage bit using just 12 atoms

Researchers at I.B.M. have stored and retrieved digital 1s and 0s from an array of just 12 atoms, pushing the boundaries of the magnetic storage of information to the edge of what is possible,” reads the press release.

The findings could help lead to a new class of nanomaterials for a generation of memory chips and disk drives that will not only have greater capabilities than the current silicon-based computers but will consume significantly less power. And they may offer a new direction for research in quantum computing.

Andreas Heinrich, Physicist at IBM Research, explains more:


The chip industry will continue its pursuit of incremental scaling in semiconductor technology but, as components continue to shrink, the march continues to the inevitable end point: the atom,” Heinrich says.

To put this new breakthrough into context, IBM says that the completed technology could allow for the storage of entire music and movie collections on a device as tiny as a charm on a necklace.


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“Researchers at I.B.M. have stored and retrieved digital 1s and 0s from an array of just 12 atoms, pushing the boundaries of the magnetic storage of information to the edge of what is possible,”

I bet we are no-where near the edge yet! I would go as far as placing a bet that before long we will be able to store multiple bits per atom.
shaithis
I bet we are no-where near the edge yet! I would go as far as placing a bet that before long we will be able to store multiple bits per atom.
I'm sure I remember seeing someone suggest some storage method to do with electron spin (don't slag me off too much since a. it was a long time ago, and b. it's past the level of my long-ago-received high school chemistry). In which case are we going to see sulphur and germanium memory modules - 16 and 32 electrons(/bits?) respectively? Germanium would make sense to me, since it's already in use in semi-conductors, although more abundant sulphur might be better for cost reasons.

On second thoughts, at that scale I think I'd want some extra electrons/bit for parity purposes - and I've no idea how you'd go about writing and reading. After all, if I did know how to do this then I could patent the idea and be rich beyond the dreams of my kids… ;)