Robert H. Dennard and volatile memory

Date of publication: 05-09-2023 Update date: 10-04-2026 🕒 2 min read

Robert H. Dennard was born on 05.09.1932 in Terrell, Texas. He studied at Southern Methodist University, but got his PhD at Carnegie Mellon University in 1958. In the same year, he started to work for IBM, where he was involved in research on transmission and data storage technologies. This was exactly the field in which he was the most successful – his most significant achievement was the invention of DRAM. It has one transistor, so the memory has to be refreshed periodically, but still makes it possible to create a circuit with higher memory capacity than SRAM using the same number of elements – this translated into miniaturisation and lower production costs. Thanks to this invention, further development of computer technologies was possible. What is more, DRAM units are still used nowadays as primary storage.

Robert H. Dennard and the scaling theory

Dennard achieved much more than that, though – in total, he obtained almost 40 patents and contributed to the advancing miniaturisation in the IT business. He developed the scaling theory for MOSFETs. His achievement became the basis for Moore’s laws and for the ongoing progress in the field of microelectronics.

Interesting facts

The invention of primary storage changed our reality more than we may realise. It would be easy to assume that before a computer appeared in our home, we didn’t have anything to do with RAM. However, that’s not true, as every microcontroller has got its primary storage – it’s there in your calculator, washing machine or even that small digital alarm clock. Obviously, Dennard’s invention wasn’t the first method of data storage, but it was a milestone that led to the reduction of prices and popularisation of electronic technologies. That’s why today every amateur can get a budget-friendly Arduino or another development kit. What is more, the production costs of many different goods from almost every other industry got reduced thanks to low prices of controllers, sensors and other elements from the area of industrial automation. It turns out that we should thank doctor Dennard for much more than just a new smartphone.

Transfer Multisort Elektronik (TME) is one of the world’s largest global distributors of electronic components, electrotechnical parts, workshop equipment, and industrial automation. The catalog includes over 1,500,000 products from 1,300 leading manufacturers. TME’s modern logistics centers in Łódź and Rzgów (Poland), with a combined area of over 40,000 m², ship nearly 6,000 packages daily to customers in more than 150 countries.

TME also invests in the development of knowledge and skills of young engineers and electronics enthusiasts through the TME Education project, and supports the tech community by organizing the TechMasterEvent series, promoting innovation and experience exchange.