What is Phase Change Random Access Memory (PRAM)

Phase Change Memory (PCM) is a term used to describe a class of non-volatile memory devices that employ a reversible phase change in materials to store information. IBM announced that they had created a stable, reliable, multi-bit Phase Change Memory with high performance and stability. Reads and writes 100 times faster than flash, stays reliable for millions of write-cycles as opposed to just thousands with flash and is cheap enough to be used in anything from enterprise-level servers all the way down to mobile phones (Yam M., (2011) AU30: The in-text citation "Yam M., (2011)" is not in the reference list. Please correct the citation, add the reference to the list, or delete the citation. , IBM Develops Memory 100x Faster Than Flash, http://www.tomshardware.com/news/ibm-phase-change-memory-flash,13034.html ). According to an IBM press release the PRAM developed by them is: 1) Reliable multi-bit phase-change memory technology demonstrated; 2) Scientists have achieved a 100 times performance increase in write latency compared to Flash; and 3) Enables a paradigm shift for enterprise IT and storage systems, including cloud computing by 2016. After the launch of large scale commercial production only PRAM's lead over flash and other NVRAM will be confirmed. However PRAM can be one of the potential replacement of flash.

Significance of In-Memory Computing for Real-Time Big Data Analytics

Ganesh Chandra Deka (Ministry of Labour and Employment, India)