Breakthrough by Chinese researchers could lead to smaller and faster memory chips

Confused by the difference between RAM and ROM? Don't know your HDDs from your SSDs? A new discovery by Chinese scientists may eliminate the need for different short and long term computer memory solutions. 

Computer researchers have long struggled for a compromise between long and short term memory. New research suggests the answer may lie in high capacity ferroelectric memory chips both faster and more reliable than current memory solutions.

Long-lasting memory solutions, such as hard or flash drives, can keep data for an extended period, but run too slowly to be used for anything but storage. Short-term memory, such as random access memory (RAM) chips, can be extremely fast, but lose data when the computer shuts down, because their memory bits must be constantly maintained by electric currents.

Over the decades, scientists have sought to develop short-term memory solutions that can retain data without power. One popular solution is ferroelectric RAM.

Ferroelectric materials possess a spontaneous electric polarisation which can be reversed via the application of an external electric field.

FRAM uses ferrite - a mixed oxide of iron and one or more other metals with ferrimagnetic properties – to store "0" or "1" entries in polarised states. Because the atoms respond almost instantaneously under an electric charge, their read and recording speed could in theory match the fastest CPU.

Ferroelectric memory solutions face a big problem however, they require far more space than a conventional hard-drive or memory card, which could severely limit their application in many areas, particularly for mobile devices.