California-based Adesto Technologies, a developer of Conductive Bridging RAM (CBRAM), a low power and low cost CMOS non-volatile memory, today announced has received an award from DARPA to develop and demonstrate CBRAM memory devices that operate at sub-threshold voltages - a level that is more than 10 times lower than standard Flash memory. A successful demonstration of the CBRAM technology could lead to groundbreaking memory and microcontroller devices that consume orders of magnitude lower power.

Adesto Technologies develops CBRAM non-volatile stand alone memory devices and IP for embedding in a wide range of semiconductors. Recently, the company acquired key patents and IP related to CBRAM technology from Qimonda. In addition, Adesto announced the formation of a manufacturing partnership with Altis Semiconductor which will lead to the introduction of the first CBRAM product in 2011.

In addition to working with DARPA on sub-threshold non-volatile memories, Adesto has partnered with Professor Ben Calhoun of the University of Virginia to combine CBRAM with low voltage microelectronic circuits that he and his colleagues are developing in order to build ultra low power Microcontrollers (MCUs) and Systems-on-Chips (SOCs). "Adesto?s CBRAM is an outstanding memory technology that we can easily integrate with our ultra low voltage MCUs and SOCs in a standard CMOS process," said Professor Calhoun at the University of Virginia. "We intend to demonstrate complete solutions within the next year."

CBRAM has a potential to replace existing memory technologies, although it would have to compete with other forms of memory such as MRA. PCRAM, and Racetrack Memory developed by IBM.