iPods with 300 million songs
Scientists have developed a way of dramatically increasing the memory on iPods and other gadgets while retaining their small size.
The biggest iPod MP3 player currently available can hold about 40,000 songs. Future devices could store 150,000 times the amount of current models, according to researchers at Glasgow University.
Nanotechnology researchers have developed a molecule-sized switch which means that data storage can be dramatically increased without the need to increase the size of devices.
The researchers claim that their development could see the number of transistors per chip rising from the current limit of 200 million to well over one billion.
Professor Lee Cronin said the research potentially increases data storage capabilities in a “radical way”.
“The key advantage of the molecule-sized switch is information/transistor density in traditional semi-conductors. Molecule-sized switches would lead to increasing data storage to say four Petabits per square inch,” he added.
“This breakthrough shows conceptually that this is possible (showing the bulk effect) but we are yet to solve the fabrication and addressing problems.
“The fact these switches work on carbon means that they could be embedded in plastic chips so silicon is not needed and the system becomes much more flexible both physically and technologically.”
The researchers were not able to give a timeline as to when we might expect to see commercial applications of their work, but merely said the research had confirmed that “conceptually that this is possible”.
The research is reported in this month’s edition of the journal Nature Nanotechnology.