Mid 2017 Intel and micron launched a new ultrafast memory technology branded as Optane, they are saying that this technology will pave the way for even faster storage on Apple's MacBooks. Optane is going to be compatible with the NVMe storage protocols that Apple already uses in some of its MacBooks. This fact means it will be relatively easy for Apple to transition to Optane and to take advantage of the new technology before everyone else. Using 3-D X point technology, Optane is said to offer speeds up to 1000 times faster and more durable than currently used flash storage, it achieves this by being 10 times denser than DRAM.
NVMe is meant to replace the aging AHCI technology, NVMe is optimized for lower latency operations afforded by solid-state media and/or nonvolatile memory. Compared to what it is replacing NVMe reduces latency by up to 50%. This new type of memory is the first you memory category in more than 25 years, with most of the industry tech heads just calling it “crazy fast” for short.
The new technology is going to revolutionize the whole industry because a lot of devices and software that are still on the drawing boards will benefit greatly from the use of this superfast memory. To make it Intel and micron had to actually use unique material compounds and Crosspoint architecture to get the density they needed which is 10 times that of conventional memory. This new technology makes new innovations possible in applications ranging from machine learning to gameplay, the 8K gaming experience is now within reach using these memory chips.
For decades now the industry has been searching for anyway to reduce the lag time between the processing chip and the data, this new class of nonvolatile memory has achieved that goal, it brings game changing performance to memory and storage. The biggest lag in modern computing has been the time it takes the processor to retrieve data on long-term storage, this new revolutionary technology used in this chip allows quick access to enormous data sets and enables whole new sets of applications.
One of the applications the medical profession is looking forward to with this technology is that researchers or physicians can process and analyze very large data sets in real time, this will accelerate complex tasks including genetic analysis and disease tracking. The performance enhancements of the 3-D Xpoint technology will also be of great benefit to PC users, for many years the 8K gaming experience was something professional gamers can only look forward to, now it is actually on the horizon and coming closer by the minute. The use of this technology in relatively simple tasks like online video or online video chat will mean it will be a greatly enhanced experience without any lags or other problems usually encountered with the current technology.
The 3-D Xpoint technology is a completely new technology, the chip is innovative, it uses a transistor less crosspoint architecture which creates a three-dimensional checkerboard where memory cells sit at the intersections of the lines, as a result data can be written and read much faster and much more efficiently.
Intel Optane technology provides an unparalleled combination of high throughput, low latency, high quality of service, and high endurance. Check out the video to see how new computer architectures are unleashing unprecedented possibilities from data center to desktop.