Nanodots Used To Create 2.24 TB Storage Chip
It's a new way to cram large capacities into nanometer spaces.
A scientist of the University of North Carolina has discovered a way to cram 2.24 TB of data onto a one-square-inch chip. This was accomplished by storing a single bit of data in a magnetic dot (quantum dot) measuring just 6nm in diameter. These dots--17,921 billion in fact--were then crammed onto the chip, thus providing an "unprecedented" amount of storage that could eventually turn around the SSD market.
According to Dr. Jagdish "Jay" Narayan of the University's Department of Materials Science and Engineering, the nanodots are made of single, defect-free crystals created during thin-film growth by laser disposition. These crystals combine with magnetic sensors that are integrated directly into a silicon electron chip. He added that the nanodots are positioned uniformly "with strict precision," guaranteeing that the dots can be read and written without the slightest error.
“The next step is to develop magnetic packaging that will enable users to take advantage of the chips, using something, such as laser technology, that can effectively interact with the nanodots," he said.
Dr. Narayan told THINQ that--even at this current stage--overall the chips shouldn't be expensive to make. The University also backed his claim, saying that the chips can be manufactured "cost-effectively." The new storage technology may even be ready for mass consumption relatively soon, perhaps within the next five years.
A few years from now, this could become the replacement for SSDs. Imagine, 2.24TB in a thumb drive sized storage unit. Incredible. Absolutely incredible.
A few years from now, this could become the replacement for SSDs. Imagine, 2.24TB in a thumb drive sized storage unit. Incredible. Absolutely incredible.
Depends. It sounds like this has less to do with silicon, and more to do with lasers. There are technologies that are similar for processors that would utilize laser pulses, and therefore, could have some kind of co-relevance with this technology, but assuming current CPU technology, I think this is a radically different way of accessing data, and may require something closer to an optical drive (DVD) than a CPU.
No, because this doesn't include the technology needed to read and write onto the chip.
It's kind of like saying, I can cram the entire contents of an encyclopeia onto the surface of a grain of rice. But that doesn't mean you could cram 1000's of them into a 3.5 inch drive because you need a gigantic electron microscope to read the information.
Its unknown. It is not known whether it can be written to they have just managed to store 2TB on a chip.
It's kind of like saying, I can cram the entire contents of an encyclopeia onto the surface of a grain of rice. But that doesn't mean you could cram 1000's of them into a 3.5 inch drive because you need a gigantic electron microscope to read the information.
good point but im sure i was not the only one thinking about how many square inches a 2.5" drive can take.
I can't even read ='(
It's funny when they said "this can be done "cost-effectively" but then
when it gets to the consumer the price is multiply by 1000+'s.
Also like many comments speculate, I too would like to know if multiple
of this chips could be used on a single unit and at earth prices.