Dr. Fujio Masuoka is known as the inventor of NAND, but if dynamic flash memory comes to fruition as his company hopes, it will also be known as the grandfather of memory alternatives to DRAM.

A paper presented at the 13th IEEE International Memory Workshop on May 18 showed the promise of dynamic flash memory (DFM) using surround gate transistor (SGT) technology. This theoretical new memory type is similar to NAND flash, but denser than dynamic RAM.

In case you are not aware of memory industry gossip, it has long been said that the future of DRAM is bleak. There are many technologies that can replace the relatively inefficient memory we use to build our PCs. The problem is that most of these replacement technologies are very expensive, especially when compared to DRAM.

Like DRAM, this new DFM technology involves charge leakage, but it is much slower and does not require much power. It is also not destructive with respect to read cycles

, unlike DRAMs, which need to write back the state of the memory cell contents when they are read.

This means that fewer refresh cycles are required, potentially increasing read/write bandwidth. Besides, since DFM uses a block-based structure, access should also be faster.

DFM is currently in the theoretical stage, but Unisantis has run simulations showing a density four times that of current DRAM. This means that 64-gigabit chips, rather than 16-gigabit chips, could be on the horizon. The company is currently looking for partners to develop this technology and manufacture physical prototypes.

It will be many years before this technology replaces DRAM. In the meantime, if you are looking to upgrade your system RAM, please see our guide to the best RAM for gaming.