A New Trend in Information

Technology
3D XPoint Technology
Rakshana B

Ranjitha V

Registration no: 312313104132

Registration no: 312313104138

5th semester, Department of Computer Science

5th semester, Department of Computer Science

St. Josephs College Of Engineering, Chennai

rakshana.b96@gmail.com

St. Josephs College Of Engineering, Chennai.

ranjithavijay24@gmail.com

Mob no.:+919841879878

Mob no.:+918056254043

Abstract: In this paper presentation we will be

discussing 3D Xpoint which is a new trend in
Information Technology in detail. Information
technology (IT) is the application of
computers and telecommunications
equipment to store, retrieve, transmit and
manipulate data, often in the context of a
business or other enterprise. The new 3D
XPoint memory technology will change the way we
think about storage.
Intel and Micron today unveiled their all-new
memory technology called 3D XPoint .This is a new
class of memory that can be used both as system
memory as well as nonvolatile storage. 3D XPoint
can be used to replace both a computer's RAM and
its solid-state drive (SSD). One thousand times the
endurance would be about one million erase-write
cycles, the new memory would last pretty much
forever.
It's said to be extremely fast and durable, up to
1,000 times faster (both in read and write speeds),
and it will have higher endurance than existing
NAND Flash memory currently being used in SSDs.It
also has as much as 10 times greater density, leading
to much more storage capacity in the same physical
space, while remaining as energy efficient and
affordable as existing NAND flash memory. The
premise of 3D XPoint's architectures is that it

removes the need for bit-storing transistors and

instead uses a latticework of wires that use electrical
resistance to signify a 1 or a 0.
Clearly, with its ultrahigh performance, 3D XPoint
technology will enhance the PC experience
tremendously, especially in gaming, as large
amounts of data can be loaded into the memory more
quickly. Any applications that require low-latency
storage will also benefit from 3D XPoint. We
conclude on this topic by throwing light on the
emerging 3D XPoint technology ,its future and
benefits.
Keywords:

virtualization,
low-latency,
gaming,
pattern recognition,
genomics,
NVM,
NAND

1. Introduction
How would your life change if you
could do things hundreds of times
faster? If the wait tendency went
away? What if your storage device was
that much faster? You could unleash

the power of your processor instead of

it working at a fraction of its power.

Eliminating that bottleneck requires

better storage memory that is fast,
inexpensive, and non-volatile. 3D
XPoint technology has the potential to
revolutionize big data, highperformance computing, virtualization,
storage, cloud, gaming and many
other applications.

Intel Corporation and Micron

Technology, Inc. have unveiled 3D
XPoint technology, a non-volatile
memory that has the potential to
revolutionize any device, application
or service that benefits from fast
access to large sets of data. Now in
production, 3D XPoint technology is a
major breakthrough in memory
process technology and the first new
memory category since the
introduction of NAND flash in 1989.

2. Features
Fast: When it comes to memory
performance, low latency is
the key. Where NAND latency is
measured in tens of
microseconds, 3D XPoint is
measured in tens of
nanoseconds.
Inexpensive: To make 3D
XPoint inexpensive, we packed
lots of capacity into a tiny
footprint. By slicing
submicroscopic layers of
materials into

co
lumns each containing a
memory cell and selector, then
connecting them with an
innovative cross point structure
of perpendicular wires.
Non-Volatile: Non-volatile
memory (NVM) is the next era
of computer memory, capable
of retrieving stored data even
after a power outage.
Examples of non-volatile
memory include 3D NAND,

solid-state drives, and 3D XPoint

technology.
3. 3D XPoint Architecture
The 3D XPoint innovative,
transistor-less cross point
architecture creates a threedimensional checkerboard
where memory cells sit at the
intersection of words lines and
bit lines, allowing the cells to be
addressed individually.

As a result, data can be written

and read in small sizes, leading
to fast and efficient read/write
processes. Rather than using
hard-to-build transistors as
switches, the 3D XPoint
technology features billions of
individual memory cells
sandwiched between arrays of
wires set at right-angles to one
another.
Applying different voltages to
specific pairs of wires allows
individual memory cells to be
addressed. The memory cells
can each hold a single binary bit
of data and can switch states
much more quickly than
existing technologies.

The culmination of more than a

decade of research and
development, 3D XPoint boasts
what is described as a
stackable, transistor-less
"three-dimensional
checkerboard" architecture in
which memory cells can be
addressed individually as they
sit at the intersection of word
and bit lines.
This design allows the system to
write and read data in smaller
batches, which in turn facilitates
faster and more efficient
operation. And with low latency
overhead, a single 3D XPoint
module can serve both system
and storage needs.
The companies herald 3D XPoint
as the first new memory
technology to be developed
since NAND, over 25 years ago.
Like NAND, 3D XPoint is nonvolatile, meaning that it holds
its data even when unpowered
but, unlike NAND, it is tolerant
of many more read/write cycles,
making it more attractive as a
long-term storage medium.
In addition, the speed of the
system is said to be nearer that
of DRAM, making it much

quicker to access the

increasingly large data files that
contemporary photography
and videography can create.

4. PCI Express

3D XPoint will initially use PCI

Express (PCIe) as its means of
connecting to an existing
computer, as PCIe currently has
the the fastest bus speed of any
peripheral interface.

However, since PCIe is still not

capable of handling the
potential speed of 3D XPoint, in
the future new ways will be
developed to mount it, which
will likely require entirely new
motherboard architecture.

5. 3D XPoint Innovations
Cross Point Array Structure:
Perpendicular conductors
connect 128 billion densely
packed memory cells. Each
memory cell stores a single bit
of data. This compact structure
results in high performance and
high density.
Stackable: The initial
technology stores 128Gb per
die across two stacked memory
layers. Future generations of
this technology can increase the
number of memory layers
and/or use traditional

lithographic pitch scaling to

increase die capacity.
Selector: Memory cells are
accessed and written or read by
varying the amount of voltage
sent to each selector. This
eliminates the need for
transistors, increasing capacity
and reducing cost.
Fast Switching Cell: With a
small cell size, fast switching
selector, low-latency cross point
array, and fast write algorithm,
the cell is able to switch states
faster than any existing
nonvolatile memory
technologies today.
6. Computing application
Any number of computing applications
can benefit from such fast and
efficient technology.

As the digital world balloons

exponentially from 4.4
zettabytes of data created in
2013, to an expected 44
zettabytes by 2020 3D XPoint
technology can turn this
immense amount of data into
valuable information in
nanoseconds.
For example, retailers may use
3D XPoint technology to more

quickly identify fraud

detection patterns in financial
transactions; healthcare
researchers could process and
analyse much larger data sets
in real time, accelerating
complex tasks such as genetic
analysis and disease tracking.
For example, 3D XPoint could
accelerate machine learning
systems or enable medical
researchers to study genetics
and track diseases in real time.
7. Future timeline
The explosion of connected
devices and digital services is
generating massive amounts of
new data.

To make this data useful, it must

be stored and analysed very
quickly, creating challenges for
service providers and system
builders who must balance cost,
power and performance tradeoffs when they design memory
and storage solutions.
3D XPoint technology combines
the performance, density,
power, non-volatility and
cost advantages of all available
memory technologies on the
market today.
This technology is up to 1,000
times faster, with up to 1,000
times greater endurance than
NAND, and is 10 times denser
than conventional memory.
8. Advantages
3D XPoint sounds like a cure-all
for modern computer memory
bottlenecks.
The technology is said to be up
to 1,000 times faster than

NAND with up to 1,000 times

greater endurance, while
packing in 10 times the density
of conventional DRAM
components.
The examples shown-off by Intel
and Micron are based on two
layers of memory cells but say
that this could be increased.
Equally, while the relatively
simple fabrication of the
structures allows them to pack
data more densely than existing
NAND designs, both makers say
that this can be further
improved as lithographic
production pushes towards ever
smaller scales.
9. Uses
For decades, the industry has
searched for ways to reduce
the lag time between the
processor and data to allow
much faster analysis.
This new class of non-volatile
memory achieves this goal and
brings game-changing
performance to memory and
storage solutions.
One of the most significant
hurdles in modern computing is
the time it takes the processor
to reach data on long-term
storage.
This new class of non-volatile
memory is a revolutionary
technology that allows for
quick access to enormous data
sets and enables entirely new
applications.
10.
Conclusion
The performance benefits of 3D
XPoint technology could also
enhance the PC experience,

allowing consumers to enjoy

faster interactive social
media and collaboration as well
as more immersive gaming
experiences.

The non-volatile nature of this

technology also makes it a great
choice for a variety of lowlatency storage applications,
since data is not erased when
the device is powered off.