Nantero has succeeded in making circular wafers, 13 centimeters in diameter, that hold 10 gigabits of data and are ten times faster than flash memory.

Nantero calls its technology NRAM, nanotube-based, non-volatile random access memory.

The design involves suspending nanotube ribbons between points above a silicon chip, so that they form tiny bridges over electrodes lying below. When a charge is applied, the nanotube bridge curves downwards to touch the electrode. This deformation of the nanotube bridge remains even when the power is turned off.

The company expects prototypes of products with NRAM to be ready by the summer of 2006.