Functional Applications of Future Data Storage Devices

The development of artificial intelligence and big data analytics is driving a revolution in methods for data processing and storage. Confronting speed and energy consumption issues, these fields require new computing systems to parallelly retrieve, process, and store massive amounts of data. Beyond CMOS devices and technology, advances in data storage technology such as static random‐access memory, dynamic random‐access memory, flash memories, resistive memories, phase change memories, and magnetic memories have made functional computing possible. In this article, a broad overview of current memory systems and their development history spanning fundamental operating schemes, prevailing applications and required figure of merits for applications such as in‐memory computing and some critical issues that need to be addressed in the future development of this emerging technique are provided.