Non-Volatile Main Memory: Potentials, Problems, and Perils

Non-volatile main memory technologies promise large improvements in memory density (relative to DRAM) and storage performance (relative to flash), but realizing those improvements will require changes in computer system components ranging from processor architectures and operating systems to programming languages and network protocols. The breadth and depth of technical challenges and opportunities that these memories offer makes them exciting but also complicates their path to wide-spread use. I will survey some of the problems they raise and describe some of the solutions my group and others have proposed.