Planning ahead for persistent memory

The persistent memory revolution is almost here, but many of us architects can't clearly picture where persistent memory fits into our applications. The hard truth is that persistent memory isn't quite like memory or storage; it's a new tier with new capabilities and tradeoffs. Rob Dickinson dispels some of the myths about persistent memory so you can better plan your own research.

On the surface, adapting software to use persistent memory seems obvious. After all, persistent memory is simply fast memory that maintains state when the power goes out, like an SSD. But unlike SSDs, the rise of persistent memory inherently challenges long-held ideas and conventions about how software works. While the dust has yet to settle, some basic guidelines about how to best enable software to use persistent memory have become clear. Rob Dickinson presents four key ideas about persistent memory drawn from his experience enabling software for persistent memory over the last year.