IBM researchers are currently working on a different computer memory device named racetrack memory, which works by using tiny magnetic boundaries to store data.

The new technology still needs a lot of testing and developing, but is expected to be released for commercial use over the next 6 - 7 years.

An example of the many improvements the racetrack memory will be able to bring to our lives is the increased capacity of MP3 players. According to the researchers, it will allow storage solutions up to 100 times bigger than those available now, which means that a single portable music device could hold up to 500,000 songs or 3,500 movies.

The new system uses spintronics, which represent the storage of bits generated by the magnetic spin of electrons rather than their charge. The main advantage of racetrack memory is that it has no wear-out mechanism and it can be used and rewritten for an unlimited number of times without any fear of wear or tear.

This solution was expected for some time now, people everywhere dealing with the unreliability of disk drives, which have a very high rate of failure. At this point the only solution consists in the constant backing up of files, an expensive, rather irritant procedure.

Most of today’s computers use flash memory and hard drives to store data, and each have their advantages and disadvantages. The flash memory is reliable and information can be quickly accessed but it is very expensive.  On the other hand hard drives are cheap, but because of their moving parts, they are not reliable at all.

The new reacetrack memory seems to bring together all the positive features of today’s products and its official market release is already awaited.