Copyright © Photo by Martin Katler on Unsplash
Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) account for more than 2% of global carbon emissions, similar to the contribution from aviation fuel, with data centres already consuming more electricity than Belgium and The Netherlands combined. Moreover, ICT energy use is only expected to increase, potentially reaching 20% of global electricity by 2030.
ULTRARAM™ is a new type of computer memory that combines speed, endurance, retention and energy efficiency into a single concept. It aims to supersede DRAM (Dynamic Random-Access Memory), at least matching it in terms of speed, whilst eliminating the inherent inefficiencies in DRAM that require stored information to be constantly refreshed and rewritten when read.
The project, coordinated by Lancaster University, “Ultralow-power, Non-volatile, Random Access Memory Arrays for Datacentres and Space Applications” is a follow-on from ATTRACT phase 1. In this second phase, researchers have received around 500.000 euros to help them advance the proofs-of-concept from the previous phase into something that is far closer to a marketable product. There is a particular emphasis on quantifying the environmental benefits of implementing the memory in data centres, and determining its radiation hardness for use in space, where efficiency is critical.
The ground-breaking nature of ULTRARAM™ is illustrated by the selection of a scientific paper published in April 2022 in the high-impact journal Advanced Electronic Materials for the ‘Best of Advanced’ from the publisher Wiley, which compiles “editors’ selection of some of the most outstanding articles of the year”.
More information about the ULTRARAM™ project is available here, and you can also visit the ATTRACT showroom to know more about the project.
Watch this video and discover more about ULTRARAM™ :
Copyright © Photo by Martin Katler on Unsplash Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) account for more than 2% of global carbon emissions, similar to the contribution from aviation fuel, with data centres already consuming more electricity than Belgium and The Netherlands combined. Moreover, ICT energy use is only expected to increase, potentially reaching 20% of […]
