by , 9:50 AM EDT, July 10th, 2006

Freescale Semiconductor is the first company to bring a new type of memory chip, called MRAM (Magnetoresistive Random Access Memory), to the marketplace. The memory chips benefit from faster response times than current Flash-based chips, lower power requirements, and can also be written to an unlimited number of times. Flash-based memory can be written to between 100,000 and a million times before failing.

Don't expect to see this new memory format in an iPod any time soon. Right now, Freescale's MRAM plan maxes out at 16 megabits. In comparison, the top of the line iPod nano offers four Gigabytes of storage.

Detail of a 4 megabit MRAM chip.

MRAM chips are likely to find their way into embedded devices, like automobile computers, and also in computer processors.