In-memory computing (IMC) will reach the enterprise mainstream by 2016, creating a market worth $1bn (£700m) by 2016. So say analysts at Gartner.
The research firm cites the "rapid maturation of infrastructure technologies" coupled with a continued dramatic decline in the cost of semiconductor tech as the primary reasons for this change.
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IMC allows applications to run advanced queries or carry out more complex transactions on large data sets much faster than existing hardware, theoretically taking minutes or seconds to process what used to take hours.
"The relentless declines in DRAM [dynamic random access memory] and NAND [Negated AND or NOT AND logic gates] flash memory prices, the advent of solid-state drive technology and the maturation of specific software platforms have enabled IMC to become more affordable and impactful for IT organisations," said Massimo Pezzini, vice president at Gartner.
Pezzini said that until recently only the most "technologically savvy" firms such as financial traders, telcos and military organisations could cope with the high cost and complexity in adopting IMC, but a shift in its affordability will, said Pezzini, lead to "likely adoption" of "at least 35 per cent of midsize and large organisations through 2015".
Though the application infrastructure underlying IMC is still "in flux and fragmented", Pezzini believes that with 50 software vendors now on board, IMC "will become a key element in the strategy of organisations focused on improving effectiveness and business growth".
