Neuromorphic computing is one of the most exciting development fields in computing today. Many researchers are working on technologies that enable this ability to build networks of devices that try to mimic the functioning of the human brain. These are based on devices with their computing capacity, interconnected in a sophisticated network in which each party collaborates in the calculation tasks.

To achieve this, different approaches to in-memory computing are being evaluated. One of them intends to use the widespread 3D NAND flash memory technology to perform the computational operations of neuromorphic computing. Compared to other emerging memories, the problem with this technology is that its performance is inferior. Still, it also offers the advantage of being a proven and accessible technology at a much lower cost than other proposals.

Recently, a team of computer experts from the University of California has presented a new technology that improves the performance of 3D NAND memory in neuromorphic computing applications. They define its development as an ultra-compact and energy-efficient time-domain vector-per-matrix multiplier (VMM) based on a commercial 3D NAND memory structure.

As explained in their work, recently published in the specialized journal Neuromorphic Computing and Engineering, 3D-VMM uses a new successive rescaled resistive integration scheme (RSIR) to dispense with a charging capacitor as bulky as possible the one commonly used in other similar technologies. This reduces the overall device size and power consumption of conventional VMMs.

According to their analyzes, performed on a 55-nanometer technology node, RSIR-3D-VMM’s area efficiency and energy efficiency outperform existing 3D-VMM approaches by a factor of 1.3 to 5 times. And, unlike these, it is possible to adapt this technology to work in a smaller output range. Another innovation that these researchers have developed is another innovation called 3D-cortex, a multipurpose neuromorphic inference processor capable of taking advantage of the 3D-VMM block as a central processing unit.

Their tests have shown that 3D-cortex performance modeling targeting various next-generation neural network benchmarks achieves a record storage efficiency of 30.7 MB mm 2 and maximum energy efficiency of 113.3 Top / J and 10.66 Top / s in neuromorphic computing tasks. And they claim that the RSIR area efficiency improvement provides a lower delay in data transfer, managing to compensate for the VMM performance reduction thanks to a larger input time window.

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While HDD sales are increasing thanks to overall data growth, solid-state hard drives are doing so at a rate, if anything, faster. Far from ending the turn of the year, in 2021, laptop sales have continued to grow. Experts believe that they could even exceed those of last year once companies upgrade equipment beyond covering the infrastructure needs for teleworking. 

According to experts, this trend, which dominated the SSD and laptop market last year, is being joined by the growing demand from companies focusing on new ways of working on the go. In the view of Jeff Janukowicz, vice president of solid-state drive research and enabling technologies at IDC, “The pandemic has accelerated the need for transformation, and global demand for SSDs has increased due to this trend as both consumers and companies have sought to take advantage of the benefits of technologies”.

Thus, IDC experts believe that the trends that have driven the market last year will continue throughout this year, and their impact will be felt until 2025. During this time, shipments will increase in the main SSD categories. The new formats are gaining positions in desktop computers and other platforms typically dominated by HHD hard drives.

The figures they have presented in their latest report suggest that global shipments of SSD drives will increase at a CAGR of 7.8% between 2020 and 2025, while revenues from this storage segment will do so at a CAGR of 9.2%. , being able to reach 51,500 million dollars by the end of the period. As for the capacity shipped, thanks to the constant progress of NAND Flash technology, it is expected to increase to a CAGR of 33% in these years, which will accelerate the erosion of the price per gigabyte, something that customers have been waiting for for years.

As IDC analysts explain in this report, SSD prices remain highly volatile. They will remain high in the near term, as vendors take advantage of the semiconductor shortage to recover from the depreciation that hit the industry in fiscal years. Previous and they highlight that the advances that are taking place in the manufacturing processes will improve the manufacturers’ profitability. However, first, they will have to cover the high costs that the latest technological leaps in the industry are having, such as adopting manufacturing processes using lithography. 

In any case, in the coming years, the demand from traditional customers and new industry segments that are switching to SSDs will continue to grow, even more than previously anticipated by experts. This is due to the unexpected emergence of teleworking and remote study, which has boosted the market for ultralight laptops and tablets. Experts did not expect it to occur so abruptly.

In terms of business demand, SSDs are part of the significant changes that come with innovations like artificial intelligence, edge computing, and other emerging technologies gaining positions in enterprise IT. IDC estimates that declining prices will drive a massive expansion of SSDs as the preferred medium for many applications, jumping from maximum performance use cases to new realms that have traditionally based storage on traditional HDDs.

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This year has been difficult for the economy, but certain markets, such as technology, have found something to hold on to overcome the crisis, even growing well above expectations. Although not much has been achieved in the case of integrated circuits, there has been a very positive overall performance, thanks in part to the performance of the DRAM and NAND Flash memory segments, which have been fueled by the unexpected growth in server sales, laptops, and other electronic devices that have increased their market during the pandemic.

According to preliminary figures from the latest report, prepared by IC Insights, each of the top five categories of integrated circuits has managed to increase their sales, mainly due to the increased demand for computer and communication applications. But the undisputed leader in this ranking is the DRAM memory market, which will close the year with an estimated sales of $65.2 billion, surpassing forecasts before the health crisis.

And it will achieve this even though the industry is immersed in a dangerous situation of oversupply, yes, still not as serious as that experienced in previous years. The second position, one more year, will be for the NAND Flash memory segment, which is followed by processors for computers, mobile phones, and specific-purpose logic products, which are finding new fields in which to expand their many possibilities.

IC Insights experts predict that at least looking to 2021, and DRAM memory will continue to lead the global market for integrated circuits, following the same line that it had maintained since 2017 when it achieved the highest volume of revenue in the industry. Likewise, they foresee that processors will retain the third position in the ranking, encouraged by the next server renewal cycle and by the significant sales of equipment that are taking place in the mass consumer environment, which could be maintained for several months in 2021.

As for other products such as MPUs, its market is supported by the growth in demand for high-end 5G processors, necessary for the new generation of higher-end mobile devices and devices necessary in the deployment of new networks. Finally, the experts at IC Insights emphasize that the NAND Flash memory market has seen the strongest growth this year, and they do not expect it to come to a complete halt next year.

In 2020 the increase was a remarkable 25%, mainly due to the strong orders placed by server manufacturers during the first quarter of the year. This led to an increase in prices that has remained more or less during the rest of the year, and it is expected that in 2021 sales could be very positive, even though manufacturers are excessively increasing their production, generating a new situation of oversupply. Of course, for now not as serious as that of DRAM memory.

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