On the 28th of July, 2015 in London, the company executives of the Intel and Micron Technology launched the first category of memory that is described by both the companies as a major development after 1989 when the NAND flash was first emerged. It is the 3D XPoint memory IC with 128Gbits capacity which according to a primary finding is a fixed memory that reveals a massive capacity for material property change where the metal access lines meet at a cross-point.
The buzz is already around the electronics industry that this memory may possibly bring a major revolution. It is hoped that this memory will be faster up to 1000 times than NAND flash. Also the density of the memory is 8 to 10 times more than DRAM, making the cost relatively low. The applications of 3D XPoint memory are predicted to be lucrative for the data centers and the solid-state drives.
According to the CEO of Micron Mark Durcan that this is the result of the joint venture between Intel and Micron built in 2006. It was being produced at the wafer fab in Lehi, Utah, which belongs to IM Flash Technologies LLC. The Micron CEO further enforces that the memory is structured in a way that it will remain as two planes of 64Gbits where one bit will be quantified for each cell.
The engineering details were disclosed at the launch event as well. According to the Intel and Micron while creating the 3D XPoint memory they were stressing on inventing material compounds that will be unique in nature. They did not disclose much about the switching mechanism but hinted that it is by means of modifications done in resistance of the bulk material.
There are similarities of 3D XPoint to ReRAMs developed by Crossbar Inc. as it is a resistive RAM with a select integral diode making an opaque structured device. But it has been confirmed that 3D XPoint cannot be pertained and comparing to other forms of stable memory, the 3D Xpoint is fundamentally a special switch made for bulk-switching mechanism.
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