May 14, 2004 – Scientists from Japan have succeeded in running magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM) with one-hundredth of the amount of current needed for current prototype MRAMS, seen as a key step toward commercializing the technology.

Unlike DRAM and SRAM, MRAM uses magnetism to store data, eliminating the need for constant electric power. The team cut back on the electricity by inserting a layer of ruthenium in between one of the two ferromagnetic cell wafers.

The accomplishment, led by Prof. Koichiro Inomata of Tohoku U., was published in the May 10 issue of Nature Materials.