Memory chip manufacturers controlling 90% of the memory market will work together on MRAM, marketed as a NAND and DRAM replacement. The technology should be so fast and energy efficient that it can become an universal memory technology. The companies aim to first replace DRAM with MRAM and estimate they can achieve this by 2018. Chip manufacturers working on the technology include Micron, Samsung, Toshiba, SK Hynix, Renesas and Hitachi.
By 2018 the companies hope start mass production of MRAM chips which they claim to be 10 times faster and 10 times more data dense than DRAM while consuming only 30 % of the energy DRAM uses. The chips are also less prone to wear out, which is currently an issue with shrinking NAND chips. Another interesting feature is that it's non-volatile which means the data isn't gone when a system containing MRAM is powered down.
MRAM or magnetoresistive random-access memory consists of two magnetic elements formed by magnetic layers. Each layer can hold a magnetic field, separated by a thin insulating layer. One of the two layers is permanently set to a particular magnetic polarity, the other's field can be changed to match that of an external field to store memory. This configuration is known as a spin valve and is the simplest structure for an MRAM bit. A memory device is built from a grid of such "cells".
Reading of cell can be achieved by measuring the electrical resistance, writing is achieved by passing an electric current through an induced magnetic field.
Japanese hardware brand Buffalo has introduced a SSD with a8 MB MRAM cache from Everspin this month. The company claims the usage of MRAM makes the drive more energy efficient and less vulnerable for power outages.
