Whereas IBM is studying MRAM as an alternative to DRAM chips for main memory in computers, H-P Labs has different plans. At Carnegie Mellon, Zhu has been working on MRAM for about five years in a joint project with Gary A. Prinz of the Naval Research Laboratory. The doughnut shape reduces interference and eliminates the need for transistors, he said. The critical step for developing MRAM is to find a way to switch one memory cell without switching another, he said. The doughnut shape helps control magnetic flux, enabling the memory elements to be placed closer together.
Flash memory is extremely slow.
The MRAM memory is very fast. No, you don't lose everything. Your computer won't be completely down.