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These same pattern-matching capabilities could enable appliances that learn from experience and computers that can make decisions.
In computer chips, a transistor functions using a flow of electrons, whereas the memristor couples the electrons with ions, or electrically charged atoms.
In a transistor, all information is lost once the flow of electrons is interrupted. But a memristor can remember the amount of charge that was flowing through it, and much like a memory stick it will retain the data even when the power is turned off.
This can pave the way for computers that will instantly turn on and off like a light bulb and never lose data: the RAM, or memory, will no longer be erased when the machine is turned off, without the need to save anything to hard drives as with current technology.
Initially, the technology will be mostly used to create super-fast memory chips that contain more data and consume less energy.
This alone would make regular computers much more powerful, but down the line, the memristor could also take on the processing.
Jennifer Rupp, professor of electrochemical materials at ETH Zurich, and working with IBM to build a memristor-based machine, says,: " It
( memristor) could mean the end of the silicon era, giving us lower power consumption, the ability to compute more information, increased data storage and completely new logic patterns for our computers."
Memristors don ' t require a silicon layer and different materials can be used as a substrate. This could create a new class of microchips, that could eventually be integrated in everyday items such as windows, clothes or even coffee cups.
After manufacturing the first ever memristor in 2008, Hewlett Packard has been working on a new type of computer based on the technology planned to be launched by 2020. Christened as " The
Machine ", it uses " electrons for
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want to get to the market, show everyone that this is real."
Right now the manufacturing cost of memristor is high, however specialist believes the initiative to be worthy of its cost on R & D. " Memristors operate at a lower power consumption, with a faster speed, and with a higher volume density of information than anything we have based on silicon microchip transistors," she said.
It is also said to have human brain-like characteristics that the technology could one day lead to computer systems that can remember and associate patterns in a way similar to how people do.
Rupp says, " Unlike a transistor, which is based on binary codes, a memristor can have multi-levels. You could have several states, let ' s say zero, one half, one quarter, one third, and so on, and that gives us a very powerful new perspective on how our computers may develop in the future," she said.
Such a shift in computing methodology would allow to create " smart " computers that operate in a way reminiscent of the synapses in our brains.
Free from the limitations of the 0s and 1s, these more powerful computers would be able to learn and make decisions, ultimately getting us one step closer to creating human-like artificial intelligence.
Global market:
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The computers using the D-RAM lack of ability to retain information once they shut down. Memristors can remember voltage and no need to reboot the computer. These efficient features resulting into increase in applications of memristors, will navigate the global memristor market. Increased awareness among the design engineers regarding the hi-tech progresses and advances in computers enables generate profitable openings for the memristors market.
Supervisory bodies are applying severe guidelines towards uphold the mandatory feature of products is major test for the market.
However, lack of skilled professionals is the major challenge and memristor costlier than the conventional devices, which may hamper the global memristor market.
Global Market can be segmented as-
Based on RAM: 4 GB, 8 GB, 16 GB, 32 GB and 64 GB; by Product Type: Static RAM
( S-RAM), Dynamic RAM( D-RAM) and
EPROM.
The global Memristors market can be allocated based on applications into Nano
Electronic Memories, Computer Logic,
Neuromorphic Computer Architecture,
Replacement of Transistors,
Programmable logic, Signal Processing and so on. Furthermore, the market is also segmented on the type of memristor such as Molecular and iconic thin flirmemristor,
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processing, photons for communication, |
As memristor enables to replace the |
Magnetic and spin based memristor. It is |
and ions for storage." |
increasing number of transistors used on |
expected to reveal a noteworthy CAGR as |
" I think there is a race going on," says |
circuits for amplifing chip performance |
well as annual growth rate over the |
Rupp. " There is a strong driving force, but |
which only results into the problem of |
estimate period. |
at the same time it ' s very important that |
heat generation which affects the devices. |
Worldwide memristor market is gaining |
there are players like HP, because they |
Also memristor enables replace D-RAM. |
acceptance in flow across the globe due to |