IBM Research: one step closer to atomic data storage

[jacobpaprotskiy]

fucking awsome

[DouglasMcK]

My question is why do we need to stick to binary in an atomic level of environment ?!?! Why cant there be a Ternary or Quaternary system in this concept with predictable results??

[ZERO3690]

good idea but not possible

[nurbsenvi]

What the hell was that?

[joelito101]

it looks like an atomic size needle (already available) pulses energy into an electron to flip it's poles back and forth. It is already done but not at such small scale.

[crusaderx2]

jihadist you are an idiot. relax, take some pills and let the illuminati runt he world. the counsil of 300 know better than you. you are not able to outthink the bilderbergers. give us a break!

[tomtheshaman]

아 글구 감독관, 니 눈깔은 악세사리로 만들어졌나보지? ㅂㅅ 같이 생긴게 꼭 뇌물질이에요 ^^

ㅂㅅ아 경기는 끝났는데, 그걸 또 골로 인정하냐? 너 진짜 ㅂㅅ이냐? 내 친구가 키우는 원숭이가 너보다 판정을 잘하겠다 이 ㅁ1친 초딩놈아 ㅉㅉ 너 같은 놈은 홍만이형의 주먹대, 효도르의 암바 맞아도 싸고 남아 아 진짜 열받게 만드네 감독관 개ㅄ시부랄 개. 같은 새.끼

[nurbsenvi]

뭔소리여...?

[nishitani1000]

같이 생긴게 꼭 뇌물질이에

[areenarena]

?????

[Jihadist]

IBM helped the Nazi's by supplying them the information systems (the punch cards, and yes they knew what the nazi's were going to do with them). Thank fuck thats in the past right? can't happen any more, it can't happen here, right? Well it's about time you researched RFID, VeriChips and the IBM connection. Or would you rather be chipped like a dog and be Rockefeller's bitch? The ruling class are waging war against the masses, it's time to wake up and do something about it!

[rsanchef]

IBM is from another planet.

Intergalactic Business Machines. Didn't you know that ?

[scrap1005]

@Jihadist, I knew I loved that company for some reason! Oh, and don't forget there is a processor that thing in front of you...

[Cadmus5115]

is this a quantum computer?

[ycalm]

i am not sure that i understand this. A single atom is not deterministic, it is quantum mechanical. If you write a "1", and hence define a z-axis, then you wait some finite amount of time later, you will find that your "1" atom has a non-zero probability of being in the "0" state. If you wait long enough, then the "1" spin state should melt into a superposition of the "1", and "0" states!!!

[31Orcas]

Ok, so I'm in Algebra 1, but from what I understand, the atom is so small that it's quantum physical properties will cause it to move to a "superposition" of both 1 and 0 simultaneously and thus being unpredictable? And this happends in a completely undpredictable time frame, right?

[SousukePanic]

mm i thought it was just ad easier way of the whole 0100101010101 binary code system where a 0 or one can be just a single atom

[Kostly]

From what I can tell it is an instruction based on magnetism. The on position sends it in one direction and the off in another. Basically, the "atomic" storage allows you to store more data in much smaller increments. Then I think you can store more on less and access will be MUCH faster. Close to the speed of light? And quantum physics deals with sub-atomic particles, I thought. Atoms are predictable.

[31Orcas]

OK, so you can predict atoms, but not really anything smaller? But I get the magnetic storage thing. Wow, a byte per atom would be crazy... but wouldn't that be extremely sensitive to magnetic disturbances? Like a magnet in the wrong place could whipe the entire drive? Or not? I should look it up... when I get another chance to be on the internet, haha. We lost internet conection and it'll be a long time before we get it back. I'm at my aunt's. BTW thanks for the reply : ).

[scrap1005]

@31Orcas, you're close. It would be a bit per atom. So 16 atoms could make up a 16bit byte (or word), perhaps.

[31Orcas]

Did I say byte? Oops. Yeah, bit makes a lot more sense : ).

[boxa888]

@31Orcas yes and cosmic rays, and emp effects, maybe if the whole device was covered in a metal box(faraday cage) but yes the more smaller the more cosmic events can destroy computer chips, for one example look at the huge solar storms comming to the earth, they destroy power grids, so a computer chip with no protection is gonna get hit hard. burned or erased very easily. its scary,the best way to survive solar and emp attacks are with larger more current carrying components like vacuum tubes

[ycalm]

i am not sure that i understand the way that this works. a single atom is not deterministic, it is quantum mechanical. if you write a "1", then at some finite amount of time later, the spinor of the atom should be in a super-position of "1", and "0". If you wait long enough then there is no way of retaining the originally written "1"?

[ThankYouESM]

this beaing quantum technology, i suspect there would be no need for batteries or any outside power source as atomic particles are always in motion and will be far different in make where is doesn't need processors... microchips... wires... or any such components, not even to cool the system down which means the end of needing repairs or new hardware installments.

[unknotmiguel]

hum interesting.. binary code

[blazerblast]

the point in this being?

[BurtWilson1]

Vast data storage on a tiny chip.