Although engineers continually devise new ways to conquer obstacles previously thought insurmountable, in the case of solid state storage, we may actually be approaching a point where the current theory just doesn’t work any more. The size of cells in memory arrays is getting so small that each one now holds just 100 electrons. That means that an array based on current theory can only get 100 times bigger before it hits its absolute maximum — one electron per cell — and even that is ridiculous.
There is a band-aid solution, one that is in reality already being applied: multi-layer cell arrays. You just stack one one array on top of the other and boom, double the size. Trouble is you end up with a lot of heat being trapped in there. And even stacking the arrays has its limits. So what’s next? Don’t ask me. Just don’t expect to keep being able to store twice as much stuff in your laptop every year from now till eternity. And the next time you see a hard drive or memory architecture engineer, give them a big hug from me.
The end of one technology is the beginning of another.
Perhaps, instead of creating high definition media that takes up so much space, we should work on creating high definition media that doesn’t?
or perhaps we should look into whole new methods of creating storage technology, such as holographic data storage.
In any case…
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It annoys me that Moore’s observation is called a “law.” It barely even qualifies as a theory, but what it has been is motivator for Intel and other employee’s. Thats it.
Have you seen the article in science daily (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090520192137.htm) about increasing the storage volume of DVD by 2000 times? Using multiple frequencies of light and various rotations of polarized frequencies… neat stuff.
OK, it’s not memory, but it’s close.