"Racetrack" Memory Will Store 500,000 Songs And Do Some Kinda Science Thingy (500,000 Songs!)

IBM scientists have discovered a new breed of memory that has the capability of storing 500,000 songs on an iPod or 3,500 movies. The new tech, called "racetrack" memory, uses the spin of electrons to store information. Unlike flash, it writes at incredible speeds.

"The combination of extraordinarily interesting physics and spintronic materials engineering, one atomic layer at a time, continues to be highly challenging and very rewarding," said Dr. Stuart Parkin, one of the duders heading up the research.

But what does that mean? Well, big news for science, data processing and nanotechnology, to be sure. Otherwise I have no clue, not being a scientist myself. I do know that carrying 3,500 versions of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? in my jeans pocket makes me giddier than a trenchcoated con with a bag full of roofies.

Racetrack tech is still in experimental stages and won't hit markets for another 10 years. A young man can dream, though.

The new chip that will let an iPod store 500,000 songs [Times Online]