Memory is Hot

A good number of the faculty candidates interviewing at Georgia Tech have a common theme: Memory. Memory connected to databases, to programming languages, to architecture, to operating systems, to networks and in security. Why all the interest in memory?

I started asking the candidates. The short answer: We no longer get faster performance from the CPU but new memory technologies can make a large difference.

Intel and Micron developed a new memory technology they call 3D XPoint ("3D Cross-Point") as diagrammed above, with the memory, in yellow, addressable by choosing the adjacent horizontal and vertical bars. 3D XPoint gives fully bit addressable high-density high-speed non-volatile memory without transistors or electrons. Non-volatile means the memory does not disappear when the power goes off, like a "flash" drive. Intel has announced a 3D XPoint main memory card under the Optane brand available this fall. One could use this memory as a full replacement or in conjunction with traditional DRAM in a heterogeneous system.

What's the big deal? The non-volatility means we can reduce power needed for memory, power being perhaps the biggest bottleneck in computing today. We can have large-scale databases in memory, fast performance with quick crash recovery since the memory isn't lost. 3D XPoint can enable edge or fog computing that brings the power of the cloud closer to the user for applications like virtual reality or self-driving cars where the time to reach a data center can cause unacceptable lag. Like most transformative technologies it will bring opportunities and challenges we can't even imagine now.

As theorists we need to take a leading role. How can we model 3D XPoint-like memories so we can properly develop algorithms and analyze complexity to understand what these memories can or cannot enable? Theoretical Computer Science can play a large role in adapting to new technologies if it is willing to get into the game.