‘Perfect’ memory that could one day replace three types of storage gets very early prototype: SOT-MRAM is cache, system memory and storage in one
Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) announced the creation of a spin-orbit torque magnetic random access memory (SOT-MRAM) array chip, the result of a joint development program first announced in 2022.
Touted as a potential replacement for STT-MRAM (spin-transfer-torque MRAM), the new SOT-MRAM could be used for computing in memory architectures and as an alternative for high-density, last-level cache applications. It requires only 1% of the operational electricity consumed by its predecessor and is said to be faster than DRAM.
ITRI and TSMC published a new research paper on this microelectronic component, during the IEE International Electron Devices Meeting 2023 (IEDM 2023).
There are still obstacles to overcome
Dr. Shih-Chieh Chang, general manager of electronic and optoelectronic systems research laboratories at ITRI, said: “Following the co-authorship of the papers presented at last year’s symposium on VLSI technology and circuits, we further co-authored a SOT-MRAM unit developed cell. This unit cell simultaneously achieves low power consumption and high speed, reaching speeds of up to 10 nanoseconds. And overall computing performance can be further improved when integrated with computing into memory circuit design. Looking ahead, this technology has potential for applications in high-performance computing (HPC), artificial intelligence, automotive chips and more.”
The rise of AI, 5G and AIoT has driven the need for faster processing and new memory solutions that deliver superior speed, stability and energy efficiency. This breakthrough may pave the way for the next generation of memory technology, but there are problems.
If Tom’s Hardware points out“Although SOT-MRAM offers lower standby power than SRAM, it requires high currents for write operations, so its dynamic power consumption is still quite high. Furthermore, SOT-MRAM cells are still larger than SRAM cells, and are more difficult to make. Therefore, while SOT-MRAM technology looks promising, it is unlikely to replace SRAM anytime soon. Still, SOT-MRAM for in-memory computing applications could make a lot of sense, if not now, but if TSMC learns how to make SOT-MRAM cost-efficient.”