What is Random-Access Memory?

Random-access memory (RAM) is a type of computer data storage. A RAM device makes it
possible to access data in random order, which makes it very fast to find a specific piece of
information. Certain other types of storage are not random-access. For example, a hard disk drive
and a CD will read and write data in a predetermined order. The mechanical design of these devices
prescribes that data access is consecutive. This means that the time it takes to find a specific piece
of information can vary greatly depending on where it is located on the disk.
RAM devices are used in computer systems as the main memory. RAM is considered volatile
memory, which means that the stored information is lost when there is no power. So, RAM is used
by the central processing unit (CPU) when a computer is running to store information that it needs to
be used very quickly, but it does not store any information permanently.
Present-day RAM devices use integrated circuits to store information. This is a relatively expensive
form of storage and the cost per unit of storage is much higher than for devices like a hard drive.
However, the time to access data is so much faster for RAM that speed outweighs cost. A computer,
therefore, uses a certain amount of RAM for fast-access, temporary storage of information and a
much larger amount of non-random, permanent mass storage, like a hard disk drive. For example, a
typical computer system may have two to eight GB (gigabytes) of RAM, while the storage capacity of
the hard disk drive can be several hundred GB or even one TB (terabyte).

A Bit of History
The earliest form of RAM goes back to the very first computers in the 1940s. Magnetic-core memory
relied on an array of magnetized rings. Data could be stored by magnetizing each ring individually.
Each ring was wired separately, which resulted in fairly large installations. A single ring could store a
single bit of data and the direction of magnetization indicated zero or one.
Technological advances resulted in smaller devices that could store more information but relied on
the same principle. The memory unit in the photograph below is about 10 x 10 cm and can store
1,024 bits. That is very small by today's standards, but it was state-of-the-art in the 1960s.

Memory unit from the 1960s

The real breakthrough for computer memory came in the 1970s with the invention of solid-state
memory in integrated circuits. This uses very small transistors, making it possible to store a lot more
information on a very small area. However, this increase in memory density came at the cost of
volatility: a constant power supply is needed to maintain the state of each transistor. Today's RAM
still relies on this same principle.

Types of RAM
Several types of RAM are in use today. Dynamic RAM (DRAM) is by far the most widely used. It
stores each bit of data using a transistor and capacitor pair. Combined, they represent a single
memory cell. The capacitor holds a low or a high charge, representing a zero or one, respectively.
Static RAM (SRAM) uses four or more transistors to store a single bit of data. Different
combinations represent a state of zero or one. The term static refers to the fact that it maintains its
current state without having to be refreshed on a regular basis.
Dynamic RAM, on the other hand, needs to be refreshed to maintain the small electric charge on
each capacitor. Both types of RAM, however, are volatile in the sense that they lose the information
when there is no longer a power supply.