Test chip stores data while power is off
1 min read
The world's first content addressable memory (cam) that stores data without using power has been announced by NEC and Tohoku University. The technology has been developed to maintain the same high operational speed and non volatile operation as existing circuits when processing and storing data on a circuit while power is off.
The cam is a result of spintronics logic integrated circuit technologies that use the negative properties of electrons together with the spin magnetic movement. To enable data processing within the cam to be stored on a circuit without using power, the cam uses the vertical magnetisation of vertical domain wall elements in reaction to magnetic substances.
Use of the new CAM in combination with existing non-volatile memory is related to greater non volatility of cpu for electronics and other storage devices. According to NEC, use of the new CAM enables the development of electronics that start instantly and consume zero electricity while in standby mode.
The newly developed technologies incorporate high speed data retrieval and need approximately half the circuit area of existing technologies.
NEC and Tokohu University have also developed a simulation technology for a circuit diagram including spintronics particles in parallel with designing technologies for massively large integrated circuits for developments involving the most advanced spintronics logic integrated circuits.
