A Vancouver researcher has patented a new material that uses light instead of electricity to store data. An anonymous reader writes: LI-RAM — that’s light induced magnetoresistive random-access memory — promises supercomputer speeds for your cellphones and laptops, according to Natia Frank, the materials scientist at the University of Victoria who developed the new material as part of an international effort to reduce the heat and power consumption of modern processors. She envisions a world of LI-RAM mobile devices which are faster, thinner, and able to hold much more data — all while consuming less power and producing less heat. And best of all, they’d last twice as long on a single charge (while producing almost no heat), according to a report on CTV News, which describes this as “a breakthrough material” that will not only make smartphones faster and more durable, but also more energy-efficient. The University of Victoria calculates that’s 10% of the world’s electricity is consumed by “information communications technology, ” so LI-RAM phones could conceivably cut that figure in half. They also report that the researcher is “working with international electronics manufacturers to optimize and commercialize the technology, and says it could be available on the market in the next 10 years.” Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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‘Breakthrough’ LI-RAM Material Can Store Data With Light