PMC memory promises 1TB thumbdrives

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Arizona State University researchers are developing a new type of solid state memory called programmable metallization cell (PMC).

PMC, which uses a new kind of nanotechnology, is said to be cheaper and more efficient than flash, and is capable of storing substantially more data than current technology.

Researchers have brought the technology to the stage where one terabyte USB thumbdrives could be available in a few years time. The first PMC memory chip is expected to go into production in April 2009.

The largest commercially available flash drives currently available are 125 times smaller at just 8GB.

PMC memory is 1,000 times more energy-efficient than flash memory, because while Flash uses electronic charges to store bits of information, PMC creates nanowires from copper atoms on a molecular scale.

The nanowires record binary ones and zeroes, allowing a large amount of data to be stored in a tiny space.

When a positive charge is passed through the PMC memory, the nanowires disassemble. This means that it can be reused many times.