Perhaps one of the more innovative solutions is [[IBM Millipede|millipede memory]], developed by [[IBM]]. Millipede is, in essence, a [[punched card]] rendered using [[nanotechnology]] in order to dramatically increase areal density. Although it was planned to introduce Millipede as early as 2003, unexpected problems in development delayed this until 2005, by which point it was no longer competitive with flash. In theory the technology offers storage densities on the order of 1 Tbit/in² (≈394≈155 Gbit/cm<sup>2</sup>), greater than even the best [[hard drive]] technologies currently in use ([[perpendicular recording]] offers 636 Gbit/in² (≈250≈98.46 Gbit/cm<sup>2</sup>) as of Dec. 2011<ref name=636-gigabits>{{cite press release | url = http://www.hitachigst.com/press-room/2011/hitachi-gst-ships-one-terabyte-per-platter-hard-drives | title = Hitachi GST Ships One Terabyte Per Platter Hard Drives | access-date = 2011-12-17 | date = 2011-08-03 | publisher = [[Hitachi Global Storage Technologies]] | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111026210519/http://www.hitachigst.com/press-room/2011/hitachi-gst-ships-one-terabyte-per-platter-hard-drives | archive-date = 2011-10-26}}</ref>), but future [[heat-assisted magnetic recording]] and [[patterned media]] together could support densities of 10 Tbit/in²<ref name=10-terabits>{{cite web | url = https://arstechnica.com/science/news/2010/05/new-hard-drive-write-method-packs-in-one-terabyte-per-inch.ars | title = New hard drive write method packs in one terabit per inch | access-date = 2011-12-17 | last = Johnston | first = Casey | date = 2011-05-07 | website = Ars Technica}}</ref> (≈3≈1.9555 Tbit/cm<sup>2</sup>). However, slow read and write times for memories this large seem to limit this technology to hard drive replacements as opposed to high-speed RAM-like uses, although to a very large degree the same is true of flash as well.
