Emerging and Nonvolatile Memory

In recent years, Non-Volatile Memory (NVM) technologies have emerged as candidates for future computer memory. Nonvolatility, the ability of storing information even after powered off, essentially differentiates them from traditional CMOS-based memory technologies. In addition to the nonvolatility, NVMs are also favored because of their low leakage power, high density, and comparable read speed compared with volatile memories. However, there are challenges to efficiently utilize NVMs due to the high write cost and potential endurance issues. In this chapter, we first introduce representative NVM technologies including their physical construction for data storage, as well as characteristics, and then summarize recent work aiming to exploring NVMs' characteristic to optimize their behaviors.