Even though flash memory technology has just started becoming mainstream, Samsung has already started production of next generation memory technology called phase-change random access memory (PRAM). The PRAM chips use a medium called chalcogenide that gets heated up and changes its physical state, the two resulting states become the ones and zeros used by computers for data storage.

Research on PRAM has been going on since 1970s, but this is the first commercial product based on the technology. In PRAM bits can be changed to either 1 or 0 without the need to first erase the entire block of cells (like on flash memory). This results in lower power requirements and more than 10 times faster data access speeds when compared to flash memory.

Samsung has started production of 512Mb PRAM chip, which is seven times faster than NOR flash in writing 5MB data segments and consumes 22 percent lower power. Samsung is now sampling the new PRAM chip and commercial products should come to the market in 2010.