This new technology developed by Intel enables a PC to use an add-in flash memory rather than a hard drive to manipulate data and use applications.

This new Robson technology cuts down the time needed by an application to start because flash memory cards react more quickly then traditional hard drives and with some additional Intel software, Robson is a revelation. For example, a laptop battery can have a longer life because it doesn’t have to spin a hard drive motor.

Intel did not provide exact boot-up time comparisons, but Robson will cut the amount of time it takes from when you hit the “on” button to when the PC can operate, the time it takes to go from a sleep state to an active state, and the time it takes to launch an application, as an Intel representative said.

Presented at the Intel Developer Forum in Taipei on Monday, Robson is still in the developing process and there is no certain date for its commercial availability. A Robson card can contain 64MB to 4GB of memory.

A similar technology was presented by Samsung and Microsoft. The two companies made a prototype hard drive with an internal 1GB flash memory chip that also cuts power consumption. All the data is written to the flash memory chip.

The chips used in Robson technology aren’t fabricated by Intel. Because the giant chip-maker is focused on NOR flash memory, Samsung provides the NAND chips used in Robson. Only the software is developed by Intel.