On "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," Odo was a shape-shifter, able to rearrange his molecules to inhabit different forms. Now the idea is being applied to computer memory, as Infineon Technologies AG (a SiliconValleyWatcher founding sponsor) has joined up with IBM and Macronix to research phase-change memory, a new technology that stores data in a special material that can change structure, the AP reported Monday.

Research will be conducted at IBM's Watson Research Center in New York and Almaden Research Lab in San Jose. In phase-change, the material changes from an amorphous to a crystalline structure; the technology promises high speed, high density storage. Data could be saved and available even when the computer is turned off.

Link: AP story