Hewlett-Packard will replace the flash memory memristor.

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April 8 scientists and engineers from Hewlett-Packard have demonstrated their achievements in the development of a new type of non-volatile memory - so-called memristor. According to them, memristor-based devices may soon replace conventional flash memory. Their advantages are obvious: Memristors much simpler than common today semiconductor transistors. In addition, they are capable of storing information in the absence of electric current and, moreover, can be used both for processing and storage. This universality can seriously reduce the price of electronic components.

The theoretical basis for the creation of the memristor was developed in 1971 by Professor Leon Chua, University of California. But it took 37 years before in 2008 in a California laboratory Hewlett-Packard created the first working example of the memristor. Develop it was a group of researchers led by Stan Williams.

Report on the experiment was published in the journal Nature. In this paper, in particular, stated that Memristors operate on the principle of neurons in the brain. The first laboratory model memristor created in 2008 in the laboratory of Hewlett-Packard, driven by chemical reactions in the two-layer film of titanium dioxide. One of the layers of the film is depleted of oxygen, making oxygen "holes" migrate between the layers under the influence of the applied voltage to the device. This allows you to use it as a memory cell.

The developer of the theory of the memristor Leon Chua before repeatedly noted that the system based on these elements will operate similar to biological brains. Quote: "Our brains are made of the memristor. Now we have the elements to create an artificial brain."

Now - at the presentation April 8 - Stan Williams said that in two years that have passed since the establishment of the first sample of the memristor, his team made significant progress in using these elements. In particular, managed to increase the speed of their work, which is now comparable with silicon transistors.