What is 3D XPoint?
The explosion of connected devices and digital services is generating massive amounts of new data. For this data to be useful, it must be stored and analysed very quickly. 3D XPoint™ technology is an entirely new class of non-volatile memory that can help turn immense amounts of data into valuable information in real time. With up to 1,000 times lower latency and exponentially greater endurance than NAND, 3D XPoint technology can deliver game-changing performance for big data applications. Its ability to enable high-speed, high-capacity data storage close to the processor creates new possibilities for system architects and promises to enable entirely new applications.
Message: Intel/Micron invented a breakthrough in memory technology that is 1000x faster and 1000x greater endurance than NAND and 10x denser than DRAM. This puts Micron in a position to help our customers drive innovative new computing architectures.
New storage-class memory technology between DRAM and NAND
Can close the gap between the processor and storage—a major challenge in modern computing
Not a replacement for DRAM or NAND – but will empower use cases that require more of each
Non-volatile, but with high endurance and very high performance
Tradeoffs:
DRAM – less expensive and non-volatile, but with less endurance and higher latency
NAND – faster performance with lower latency and higher endurance, but more expensive
o 3D XPoint will take in-memory computing to the next level with performance and capacities unreachable with today’s offerings.
o Envision mobile devices that can use 3D XPoint technology for both memory and storage in a single device
o 3D XPoint’s speed and endurance makes it capable of driving the most demanding internet-of-things (IOT) devices like automobiles, wearables and the like.
3D XPoint will power the fastest and most reliable high-end storage that the world has ever seen.
Intel will provide the first system level products to the market
Micron will focus on ecosystem enabling
We realized that system performance was increased considerably as we improved the speed of both the interface and the memory accesses. NAND Flash considerably improved the nonvolatile response time and we made further optimizations to the storage interface with SATA and an improved command set, like TRIM.
PCIe was next to be optimized – and this transition is currently underway. PCIe is faster than SATA and NVMe considerably reduced the storage protocol overhead.
We’ve also looked at optimizations for nonvolatile memory from the DRAM side as well. NVDIMM provides battery- or super capacitor-backed DRAM. This operates at DRAM-like speeds and retains the data when power is removed.
3D XPoint™ technology provides the benefit in the middle. It is considerably faster than NAND Flash. Its performance can be realized on PCIe or DDR buses. It also provides a solution that has a lower cost per bit than DRAM while being considerably more dense.