Last year, Intel showcased a new leap in memory technology with its 3D XPoint memory which is 1,000 times faster and durable than the NAND Flash memory used in SSDs. All in all, 3d XPoint looks like an impressive leap forward for computer memory, but its most impressive feature for us was that it wasn't one of those promising memory proof-of-concepts that never materialize beyond research. The 3D XPoint had been in research for 10 years and it was announced only after it was ready for mass production.
Intel announced that 3d XPoint was supposed to make it to the Skylake-EP Xeon processor early in 2017, but CEO Brian Krzanich confirmed in an earnings call that this is no longer the case. As it stands, the new memory technology will be integrated into Cannonlake-EP Xeon processors that will ship near the beginning of 2019.
While similar technologies typically get introduced first to industry hardware, the two years wait for the Cannonlake-EP processor might be enough for Intel to use the new memory in consumer electronics.
