Re:Are the Costs of AI Agents Also Rising Exponentially? (2025)
by zozbot234 on Saturday April 18, 2026 @08:52AM
(#47815524)
The basic physics of reading from Flash vs. DRAM are broadly similar, and it's true that reading from SLC flash is a bit cheaper, but you'll still need way higher voltages and reading times to read from flash compared to DRAM. It's not really the same.
However, for old-style 1-bit per cell flash memory I do not see any reason for differences in power consumption for reading.
Different array designs and sense amplifier designs and CMOS fabrication processes can result in different power consumptions, but similar techniques can be applied to both kinds of memories for reducing the power consumption.
Of course, storing only 1 bit per cell instead of 3 or 4 reduces a lot the density and cost advantages of flash memory, but what remains may still be enough for what inference needs.