I've heard about a very interesting topic of current research: the M-RAM

Some thinks that commercial hardware will be available in the next 2 years, this techno will lead to non-volatile RAM (Memory).
That's mean that we will be able to turn on our computer without rebooting files, OS, processes will be stored into the RAM even when the power supply is off. With a R&W of nanoseconds scale.
That's just a revolution!

The idea is to use magnetic fields (M stand for Magnetic): 2 tiny pieces of metal separated by a electric proof slice represent a bit of memory. When both pieces are polarized in the same direction => bit=1 and when not => bit=0.

Thanx to this techno the memory RAM can be stable for about 10 years. For instance you write a document, you will not bother to save it into flash, you could go abroad for 2 monthes when you'll get back & turn the PC on, your "in process" document will be gently witing for you.

One direct implication is for environment: instead of having a screen saver your PC could power down until activity is back, imagine the power that could be saved in a coporation where there is thousands of PC each consuming 100W.

M-RAM, magnetic random access memory makes use of miniscule magnets to store the 0's and 1's of binary data. This actually cuts down power consumption drastically. With all major memory producers conducting research in this field, the new memory chip may hit the market by 2005.

According to Jeff Mailloux, director of D-RAM marketing at Micron, D-RAM is the perfect memory. As things stand today introducing the new advanced chip is not the big deal; the task ahead is to make it cost effective.

This new technology is a spin-off of advanced research in the field of Spin electronics or spintronics. Spin, the essential quantum property of an electron, behaves akin a magnet. By aligning or polarising these tiny magnets to go in a uniform pattern they can be used to signify the elements of the binary code. This exploitation of the spins can be stretched to cover the area of memory as well.