Called MeRAM for magnetoelectric random access memory, the technology replaces the spin-transfer torque feature of MRAM, which uses electric current to move electrons to write data into the memory, with the difference in electrical potential (voltage) to write data into the memory. According to the scientists, this approach "resulted in computer memory that generates much less heat, making it 10 to 1,000 times more energy-efficient." Also, the scientists believe that MeRAM can be more than five-times as dense as STT-MRAM.
While the researchers said that the technology has "great potential to be used in future memory chips for almost all electronic applications, including smart-phones, tablets, computers and microprocessors, as well as for data storage, like the solid-state disks used in computers and large data centers", there was no information how soon it could become commercially available.
