![\"\"](\"https:\/\/phisonblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/964_4192971202.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n
The distinction between traditional memory and storage<\/strong><\/h3>\nIn the past, memory and storage were explained like this:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Memory<\/h4>\n
Memory is where data is stored temporarily in your computer \u2013 in random access memory (RAM) chips. Modern computers use synchronous dynamic RAM (SDRAM), which tends to be faster, denser, and cheaper than standard RAM. In the late 1990s, the industry turned to Double Data Rate SDRAM, typically referred to simply as DDR, which has become virtually synonymous with RAM. As the technology improved, it was given numbers to distinguish the latest versions. Today, DDR4 is the most commonly used memory in advanced processors.<\/p>\n
Memory contains the data that is currently being used in processing, such as the information in a Word document you\u2019re creating or the content of a website you\u2019re viewing. It\u2019s on hand for super-quick and easy access. The more RAM you have, the more data you can store in this temporary location, which means you can multitask across a number of applications without issue. If you run out of RAM, your computer must access data from your permanent storage\u2014which slows down your computer because retrieving data from a hard drive or solid-state drive takes longer than retrieving it from RAM.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/phisonblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/networking.jpg\")
<\/a>Read: How Enterprise Storage Networking Is Evolving<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n <\/p>\n
Storage<\/h4>\n
Storage is where data is stored permanently \u2013 in your computer on a drive or in an attached device, such as a USB drive or external hard drive. Whenever you save your work, such as a Word document, the data is copied to storage from the RAM.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
How they compare<\/h4>\n
We talk about memory and storage in some of the same ways\u2014for instance, their capacities are both measured in bytes (or gigabytes, terabytes, etc.)\u2014but they\u2019re very different in how they store and retain data. RAM is extremely fast but it is also a lot more expensive than storage. Storage is slower to access data, but it\u2019s cheaper than the same capacity of RAM.<\/p>\n
Another difference between them is what happens to the data when the computer is powered off.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Volatile vs. non-volatile<\/strong><\/p>\nRAM, or memory, is usually volatile, which means that data is stored there only when the computer is on and the operating system is operating. If your computer loses power or your OS crashes, that data is gone.<\/p>\n
Storage devices, on the other hand, are usually non-volatile (also sometimes referred to as persistent), which means data isn\u2019t erased or deleted when the computer loses power. What\u2019s saved on your storage drive is there regardless of whether the system is off or on.<\/p>\n
Flash storage is the most common type of non-volatile RAM (NVRAM). It differs from DRAM in that it is not an internal component of the computer system, it\u2019s an external media. Flash can also handle must larger volumes of data than DRAM.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s always been the need to decide which tradeoffs you\u2019re willing to handle: beef up RAM at great cost to enjoy the speedy performance, or get more cost-effective storage and deal with the slower data access.<\/p>\n
Today, however, those tradeoffs aren\u2019t as steep. Technology is beginning to bring memory and storage closer together than ever before.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/a>Read: How Enterprise Storage Networking Is Evolving<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\u00a0<\/h3>\nSSD advancements could redefine memory vs. storage<\/strong><\/h3>\nAs SSDs improve in speed and latency, they are beginning to get closer to memory-level performance. PCIe Gen 5 SSDs can deliver speeds of up to 14 GB\/s and existing DDR4-memory also offers around 14 GB\/s speeds per channel.<\/p>\n
As Phison CTO Sebastien Jean said in an interview with StorageReview<\/a> earlier this year, \u201cThis is the first time you have an SSD that can interact with the CPU at the same speed or in the same range of speeds as DDR.\u201d He goes on to say that even Gen5 SSDs can\u2019t match the ultra-low latency of DDR, but that there\u2019s an interesting way SSDs can fulfill some memory needs.<\/p>\n\u201cWhat Gen5 means both to the client and enterprise space,\u201d said Jean, \u201cis that the SSD is quickly becoming akin to a level three or level four cache, depending on which architecture you’re looking at. It’s quite a few steps away from the CPU, but it’s still in that crazy speed range the CPU expects from DRAM.\u201d<\/p>\n
By treating the SSD as a level four cache, Jean explains, the CPU architecture will migrate data from level four cache up to level one. As it does so, its cache lines get shorter and shorter, eventually aligning with DRAM granularity.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou no longer need to put a ton of DRAM in a system to run AI and machine learning applications,\u201d said Jean. And the price of SSDs compared to more expensive DDR memory makes a compelling argument. Say you can use an 8 TB SSD instead of 8 TB of DDR without sacrificing performance. That could be a savings of tens of thousands of dollars.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can work with a conventional SSD that’s running at those Gen5 speeds and you reap a huge benefit in cost reduction,\u201d Jean said.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/h4>\nThe future looks bright<\/h4>\n
While Gen5 SSDs are still cutting-edge, Gen6 is right around the corner with estimated drives shipping in 2025 or 2026. As SSDs continue to improve in speed and latency, they will also continue to get closer to the performance of DDR memory.<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n
Storage<\/h4>\n
Storage is where data is stored permanently \u2013 in your computer on a drive or in an attached device, such as a USB drive or external hard drive. Whenever you save your work, such as a Word document, the data is copied to storage from the RAM.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
How they compare<\/h4>\n
We talk about memory and storage in some of the same ways\u2014for instance, their capacities are both measured in bytes (or gigabytes, terabytes, etc.)\u2014but they\u2019re very different in how they store and retain data. RAM is extremely fast but it is also a lot more expensive than storage. Storage is slower to access data, but it\u2019s cheaper than the same capacity of RAM.<\/p>\n
Another difference between them is what happens to the data when the computer is powered off.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Volatile vs. non-volatile<\/strong><\/p>\n RAM, or memory, is usually volatile, which means that data is stored there only when the computer is on and the operating system is operating. If your computer loses power or your OS crashes, that data is gone.<\/p>\n Storage devices, on the other hand, are usually non-volatile (also sometimes referred to as persistent), which means data isn\u2019t erased or deleted when the computer loses power. What\u2019s saved on your storage drive is there regardless of whether the system is off or on.<\/p>\n Flash storage is the most common type of non-volatile RAM (NVRAM). It differs from DRAM in that it is not an internal component of the computer system, it\u2019s an external media. Flash can also handle must larger volumes of data than DRAM.<\/p>\n There\u2019s always been the need to decide which tradeoffs you\u2019re willing to handle: beef up RAM at great cost to enjoy the speedy performance, or get more cost-effective storage and deal with the slower data access.<\/p>\n Today, however, those tradeoffs aren\u2019t as steep. Technology is beginning to bring memory and storage closer together than ever before.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n As SSDs improve in speed and latency, they are beginning to get closer to memory-level performance. PCIe Gen 5 SSDs can deliver speeds of up to 14 GB\/s and existing DDR4-memory also offers around 14 GB\/s speeds per channel.<\/p>\n As Phison CTO Sebastien Jean said in an interview with StorageReview<\/a> earlier this year, \u201cThis is the first time you have an SSD that can interact with the CPU at the same speed or in the same range of speeds as DDR.\u201d He goes on to say that even Gen5 SSDs can\u2019t match the ultra-low latency of DDR, but that there\u2019s an interesting way SSDs can fulfill some memory needs.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat Gen5 means both to the client and enterprise space,\u201d said Jean, \u201cis that the SSD is quickly becoming akin to a level three or level four cache, depending on which architecture you’re looking at. It’s quite a few steps away from the CPU, but it’s still in that crazy speed range the CPU expects from DRAM.\u201d<\/p>\n By treating the SSD as a level four cache, Jean explains, the CPU architecture will migrate data from level four cache up to level one. As it does so, its cache lines get shorter and shorter, eventually aligning with DRAM granularity.<\/p>\n \u201cYou no longer need to put a ton of DRAM in a system to run AI and machine learning applications,\u201d said Jean. And the price of SSDs compared to more expensive DDR memory makes a compelling argument. Say you can use an 8 TB SSD instead of 8 TB of DDR without sacrificing performance. That could be a savings of tens of thousands of dollars.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can work with a conventional SSD that’s running at those Gen5 speeds and you reap a huge benefit in cost reduction,\u201d Jean said.<\/p>\n While Gen5 SSDs are still cutting-edge, Gen6 is right around the corner with estimated drives shipping in 2025 or 2026. As SSDs continue to improve in speed and latency, they will also continue to get closer to the performance of DDR memory.<\/p>\n<\/a>\u00a0<\/h3>\n
SSD advancements could redefine memory vs. storage<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\u00a0<\/h4>\n
The future looks bright<\/h4>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/phisonblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/The-Stability-and-Reliability-of-Phison-NAND.jpg\")