Researchers at Fudan University have announced a breakthrough in flash memory technology with what they claim is the fastest device ever created. Dubbed “Poxiao” (“Dawn”) – or PoX for short – the prototype is said to be smaller than a grain of rice, and is capable of erasing and rewriting data in just 400 picoseconds, or one trillionth of a second. The university notes that this research was also recently published in academic journal Nature.
The small flash memory device, which Fudan University began exploring in 2015, is said to outperform today’s fastest volatile memory (such as SRAM) by a factor of more than 100,000. While SRAM and DRAM offer speed, they are volatile and expensive. On the other hand, flash storage, though persistent, has lagged behind in speed. The researchers’ new approach seeks to bridge that gap, potentially redefining memory and computing architecture.
According to the university, the memory cells use a newly developed theory called “2D-enhanced hot-carrier injection,” which allows electrons to skip the slow “warm-up” phase traditionally needed to move in and out of floating-gate transistors. The team claims this technology could eventually make the distinction between memory and storage obsolete in computing systems — allowing local deployment of large AI models without the need for hierarchical storage systems.
However, PoX is said to be only capable of holding kilobytes of data for now. Fudan University adds that the prototype, now fabricated with CMOS technology at a kilobyte level, is moving toward production. The next step is to integrate it to a level of tens of megabytes in 3 to 5 years, at which time it can be licensed to companies for industrialisation.
(Source: Fudan University / CCTV)
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