Researchers develop picosecond-level flash memory device

Summary

Researchers from Shanghai-based Fudan University, who have developed a picosecond-level flash memory device, work in their lab. [Photo by Gao Erqiang/chinadaily.com.cn]Researchers from Shanghai-based Fudan University have developed a picosecond-level flash memory device with an unprecedented program speed of 400 picoseconds, equivalent to operating 25 billion times per second, shattering the existing speed limits in information storage.It became the fastest semiconductor charge storage device currently known to humanity, and scientists said such a breakthrough will have important application values to assist the ultra-fast operation of large artificial intelligence models."This is like the device can work 1 billion times in the blink of an eye, while a U disk (a hard drive in USB form) can only work 1,000 times. The previous world record for similar technology was 2 million," said Zhou Peng, a researcher from Fudan University's State Key Laboratory of Integrated Chips and Systems and a leading scientist on the research team.A paper about their research on the flash memory device named PoX was published on the website of the journal Nature on Wednesday.The speed limit of information storage has long been a crucial fundamental scientific issue in the field of integrated circuits. Charge has been proven to be the optimal storage medium, capable of carrying vast amounts of data at remarkable speeds and reliability, laying the foundation for the prosperity of the information age.However, with the advent of the AI era, the paradigm of computing is shifting towards data-driven models, requiring a breakthrough in storage technology to meet the high computational power and energy efficiency demands.Because of the computing power and energy efficiency requirements required for AI computing, the speed of information access directly determines the upper limit of computing power, and non-volatile storage technology has become the key to achieving ultra-low power consumption. The...