This PoC addresses the insatiable demands for cloud-based storage and computing power in combination with the saturation of Moore’s law that have highlighted a pressing need for fundamentally new concepts in High-Performance Computer (HPC) memory. With technologies currently on the horizon, progress in HPC promises to be incremental. New technologies addressing this challenge rely on ultrafast energy-efficient processors and storage class memory operating both operating at cryogenic temperatures, but progress has been stifled for decades by the absence of a suitable memory technology.
Charge Configuration Memory (CCM) developed in the Umem4QC project is an entirely new concept based on switching between topologically protected charge ordered states. This all-electronic memory leapfrogs established magnetic and superconducting memory paradigms and promises a ‘quantum leap’ in critical memory performance parameters: picosecond speeds, low temperature non-volatile operation, record low energy consumption; and above all device simplicity crucial for integration into classical and quantum computing environments.
The PoC focused on demonstrating the technological viability of the CCM concept, particularly scaling properties and integration concepts into low-temperature superconducting computing environments.The project has demonstrated CCM that has a significant lead in terms of speed, and is approximately equal in terms of switching energy compared to leading magnetic memory concepts, particularly currently leading voltage-controlled magnetic anisotropy spin tunnelling junctions. Moreover, it is significantly simpler and has significant potential for upscaling and hence reduction in switching energy. The PoC identified the potential market and a commercialization strategy, set up a solid IP position and performed crucial technological validation steps towards consolidating the CCM concept.
