Chinese researchers achieve making world's fastest flash memory device: Nature

A Chinese research team has developed a revolutionary flash memory device that can store data at a speed of one bit per 400 picoseconds, setting a new record for the fastest semiconductor storage device ever reported.

This groundbreaking research result by Shanghai-based Fudan University researchers was published in Nature on Wednesday.

Named "PoX," this non-volatile memory outperforms even the fastest volatile memory technologies, which take around one to ten nanoseconds to store one bit of data. A picosecond is one-thousandth of a nanosecond or one-trillionth of a second.

Volatile memories like SRAM and DRAM, which lose data on power loss, are ill-suited for low-power systems, while non-volatile memories like flash, though energy-efficient, fail to meet the high-speed data access demands of AI.

The Fudan University researchers developed a two-dimensional Dirac graphene-channel flash memory using an innovative mechanism, shattering the speed limits of non-volatile information storage and access.

"The increase in speed is a major breakthrough, completely overcoming a theoretical bottleneck in existing storage technology frameworks," said Liu Chunsen, a researcher at the State Key Laboratory of Integrated Chips and Systems at Fudan University.

Liu explained that the computation of large AI models mainly relies on GPU chips, and current commercial GPU chips can achieve 33.5 trillion floating-point operations per second while the speed of writing or erasing memory associated with them still lingers at the microsecond (one millionth of a second) level.

"PoX" is precisely tailored to meet the demands of high-speed computation by GPU chips, said Liu.

To expedite the practical application of this groundbreaking technology, the research team has deeply collaborated with manufacturing enterprises during the research and development process. A tape-out verification has been carried out, achieving initial results.

"We have now been able to make a small-scale, fully functional chip. The next step involves integrating it into existing smartphones and computers. This way, when deploying local models on our phones and computers, we will no longer encounter the bottleneck issues such as lagging and heating caused by existing storage technology," said Liu.

Chinese researchers achieve making world's fastest flash memory device: Nature

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday urged a "truly durable" ceasefire with unimpeded humanitarian aid access for Gaza, while warning that the overall humanitarian situation in the war-torn enclave remains fragile despite some improvements.

Guterres said at a press encounter that clean water is reaching more communities, some health facilities have reopened, and in the wake of the winter storms, the international community acted immediately to provide support.

However, Guterres warned that about 1.6 million people in the Gaza Strip, or more than 75 percent of the population, would face extreme levels of acute food insecurity and critical malnutrition risks.

Since October, the UN has done everything possible to keep lifelines open, but needs are growing faster than aid can get in, he said.

"We need a truly durable ceasefire, and we need more crossings, the lifting of restrictions on critical items, the removal of red tape, safe routes inside Gaza, sustained funding, and unimpeded access, including for NGOs," said Guterres.

Meanwhile, Guterres warned that the situation in the West Bank is also rapidly deteriorating, with Palestinians facing multiple threats including escalating violence by settlers, land confiscation, forced demolition of homes, and increasingly stringent restrictions on movement. In the north, tens of thousands of people have already been displaced due to Israeli military operations.

Guterres stressed that the international law, including international humanitarian law and international human rights law, must be upheld across the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem.

Guterres also said the International Court of Justice's Advisory Opinion of Oct. 22, 2025 clearly stated that Israel is under the obligation to allow and facilitate humanitarian aid, to cooperate with the United Nations in carrying out its mandates, and to respect the privileges and immunities of the United Nations and its personnel, including in times of armed conflict.

UN chief urges "truly durable" ceasefire with unimpeded humanitarian access for Gaza