The Hybrid Memory Cube Consortium will bring together device makers and chip companies to develop an open specification around the new memory type.

The companies said in a joint statement.

Samsung Electronics and Micron Technology announced the creation of a consortium around a new low-power memory called Hybrid Memory Cube.

Which could challenge DDR3 memory in high-performance computers in a few years.

Hybrid Memory Cube (HMC) promises to surpass current memory technologies such as DDR3 DRAM on performance and power consumption.

The companies said. The memory is initially targeted for use in markets such as networking, high performance computing and energy.

Said Scott Graham, general manager of the DRAM solutions group at Micron.

Graham couldn’t pin a specific date on when the memory will reach the market.

But the initial specifications will be released next year, and Graham estimated mass production of the memory to begin in 2015.

HMC will deliver memory bandwidth that could speed up network performance, and pipes to drive up CPU performance in high-performance computers.

According to the consortium’s website. Other consortium members include Altera and Xilinx.

Which are known for integrated chips and FPGAs (field-programmable gate arrays) used in the high performance computing market.

The consortium on its site said “a single HMC can provide more than 15 [times] the performance of a DDR3 module.” A “cube” also utilizes 70% less energy per bit than DDR3 memory, it said.

DDR4 is expected to succeed current DDR3 memory, which is now going into most new computers. Analysts have said DDR4 could reach PCs and servers by 2014 or 2015.

HMC was developed by Micron in close partnership with Intel, said Mike Howard, principal analyst of DRAM and memory at IHS iSuppli.

As one of the world’s largest memory makers, Samsung is a crucial partner to Micron and could help drive adoption, Howard said.

The technology involves an advanced memory controller and chips connected through an emerging silicon stacking technology called Through Silicon Via.

The real promise of HMC is for server customers, and one memory cube could potentially replace 10 DDR3 DIMMs in a server.

A new study shows that even when using very simple and inexpensive manufacturing methods – where flexible layers of material are deposited over large areas like cling-film – efficient solar cell structures can be made.A scientific advance in renewable energy which promises a revolution in the ease and cost of using solar cells.

The study, published in the Journal Advanced Energy Materials, paves the way for new solar cell manufacturing techniques and the promise of developments in renewable solar energy. Scientists from the Universities of Sheffield and Cambridge used the ISIS Neutron Source and Diamond Light Source at STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Oxfordshire to carry out the research.

Plastic (polymer) solar cells are much cheaper to produce than conventional silicon solar cells and have the potential to be produced in large quantities. The study showed that when complex mixtures of molecules in solution are spread onto a surface, like varnishing a table-top, the different molecules separate to the top and bottom of the layer in a way that maximises the efficiency of the resulting solar cell.

Dr Andrew Parnell of the University of Sheffield said, “Our results give important insights into how ultra-cheap solar energy panels for domestic and industrial use can be manufactured on a large scale. Rather than using complex and expensive fabrication methods to create a specific semiconductor nanostructure, high volume printing could be used to produce nano-scale (60 nano-meters) films of solar cells that are over a thousand times thinner than the width of a human hair. These films could then be used to make cost-effective, light and easily transportable plastic solar cell devices such as solar panels.”

Dr Robert Dalgliesh, one of the ISIS scientists involved in the work, said, “This work clearly illustrates the importance of the combined use of neutron and X-ray scattering sources such as ISIS and Diamond in solving modern challenges for society. Using neutron beams at ISIS and Diamond’s bright X-rays, we were able to probe the internal structure and properties of the solar cell materials non-destructively. By studying the layers in the materials which convert sunlight into electricity, we are learning how different processing steps change the overall efficiency and affect the overall polymer solar cell performance.”

“Over the next fifty years society is going to need to supply the growing energy demands of the world’s population without using fossil fuels, and the only renewable energy source that can do this is the Sun”, said Professor Richard Jones of the University of Sheffield. “In a couple of hours enough energy from sunlight falls on the Earth to satisfy the energy needs of the Earth for a whole year, but we need to be able to harness this on a much bigger scale than we can do now. Cheap and efficient polymer solar cells that can cover huge areas could help move us into a new age of renewable energy.”

The collaboration has just been allocated a new grant to carry out further studies into the structure and function of polymer solar cell materials, as well as examining new materials and innovative processes for high volume manufacture and future commercialisation.The research was funded with a grant from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).

Residential wind power enables individuals to utilize organic energy that does not contaminate the air with dangerous substances. At the same time, the process tends to decrease the utility bills. It is essentially for those individuals who are power-conscious. To utilize wind power one has to install wind turbines. These have rotor blades that turn around every time the wind blows. The wind power is then converted to electrical energy that is used in the home.

Before making a choice as to whether or not to utilize this type of energy source, there are a number of aspects to take into consideration first. For example, discover whether or not there are steady winds where the building is situated. This is important because wind is the main source of power. Therefore, it is exactly what is relied on.

Be aware of things such as the specific time when the winds normally peak seasonally. The turbines likewise need enough area. One has to make sure that they are positioned in such a way that they are not close to high trees and structures. They ought to also be above the height of the buildings in the vicinity.

There are many rewards that come with using wind energy. To start, it is a substitute source of power that is replenishable. This results in individuals saving energy. There are no harmful gases that are emitted into the environment; therefore, there is no damage affecting the surroundings.

It is extremely beneficial in those locations where electrical energy is not available on a consistent basis. Unlike the typical sources of power, wind power tends to not wear out. Wind itself is a natural source which means, of course, that it is free of cost. The only cost to consider will be for the equipment and the set up procedure.

This kind of power also has some weak points. There is a possibility that the wind turbines could be critically damaged due to selected climate patterns such as a thunderstorm. Occasionally, one may require several wind turbines to acquire enough power for the whole residence. This means that sufficient area is necessary to install the wind turbines.

Wind pace is not constant all the time. Sometimes it is high, and at times it is low. Hence, the energy one receives will differ depending each day and even at different times of the day or night. Addititionally there is the initial expense factor. Even though money back will be saved over time, the gear and the installation method will not necessarily be inexpensive.

These wind turbines convert kinetic energy to potential or mechanical energy. In casees where the mechanical energy is used directly to function devices, then the machine is known as a windmill. If however the power is changed into electrical energy, the devices will be known as generators.

Want to learn how to build wind power into your home? See this illuminating how to build a wind generator information right here.