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That is equivalent to an areal density of 86 Gbytes per square centimeter. The memory system exploits the storage properties of a new family of metal alloys, said Mike Downey, managing director of Cavendish Management Resources Ltd. The company plans to license the technology to computer and storage companies. Downey described the memory system as solid-state and three-dimensional, with data stored in multiple layers. The company predicted that production costs for a 2,300-Gbyte credit-card-sized memory will be less than $50. Keele also talked of wristwatches with a memory capacity of more than 100 Gbytes. Williams has applied for patents on schemes for optical, magneto-optical and multibit-per-storage-site memories that promise to raise data storage densities by a factor of 20 or more. Ironically, Keele University closed down its electronic engineering department, where Williams worked, but now stands to earn licensing revenue from the technology developed there. Downey said many details of the technology were being kept secret as Keele High Density enters into sensitive licensing talks with a number of computer and data-storage companies. Downey said that the metal alloy Keele uses is akin to one being investigated at IBM Corp. The quoted areal density and available optical resolution imply multibit-per-site data storage. Williams declined to elaborate on whether the new material displayed a magneto-optical or a different storage effect. We plan to build a large-scale prototype in the middle of next year with one or more licensees," said Williams. Focusing is used to provide fine control of the addressing in x, y and z directions with the variable focus and transparent microscopic layers used to store data in three dimensions. The data access time for the new storage technology is predicted to be around 100 Mbytes/second. According to the company, an additional advantage over existing data storage systems is that only 20 percent of the total capacity is needed for error correction, significantly less than the 40 percent now needed for hard disks and 30 percent for optical storage. If the technology were to take hold, Keele predicts that it could give rise to portable computers capable of storing as much data as 350 present-day PCs. Theoretically, such systems could be on sale within two years, the company said. Between 1978 and 1982 he led the team that developed the nuclear magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, medical body scanner. Discover its benefits over other benchmarks such as Dhrystone. Understand processor selection through real-world case study. Our capabilities allow for quote turnaround in less than 48 hours and prototypes in less than 2 weeks. Our ISO certification assures the highest quality standards as well as the lowest cost. Click Here >> 103 New Samtec Board-to-Board & I/O Interface Catalog Samtec F-204 Full Line Catalog has been expanded to include new high speed and high density interfaces, micro board-to-board and I/O interfaces, cable/wire/flex systems and micro-rugged power and circular connectors.
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