The Memristor

It's not often that a fundamental tech breakthrough has the potential to change how we compute. Nearly 37 years after it was first described in a series of mathematical equations, researchers at HP Labs proved that the fourth fundamental element of electronic circuitry is for real. The "memristor," or memory transistor, now joins the three other widely known elements: the capacitor, the resistor and the inductor.


The discovery will make it possible to develop computer systems that remember what's stored in memory when they are turned off. That means computers that don't need to be booted up and systems that are far more energy efficient than the current crop. Researchers also hope the memristor can help develop a new kind of computer memory that can supplement or ultimately replace dynamic random access memory, or DRAM — the type of memory used in personal computers.


Outlook: Memristors are still primarily confined to the lab, so don't expect commercial products based on this kind of circuitry for at least five years.






My Thoughts:


This invention could change the world. If this product made it to the market, the field of computer science would accelerate computer growth even faster. The main up side of this resistor is that it can store memory when off, so it could mean that a computer session could be suspended in these resistors memory and the computer turned off, then in a second leap back into full power when the power button is pressed and resume just like it was sleeping. The two would become indistinguishable. No more waiting 3 minutes for your computer to turn off and load every file all over again. Just instantly resume.