One day not so long from now, we may well have an instant-on computer, thanks to Intel microprocessors that will be aligned around the Merom mobile processor. Utilising a new mobile platform named Santa Rosa (successor of the current "Napa" platform) new computers will have Intel's "Robson" cache technology, which will accelerate the start up of a computer using NAND Flash.
Robson is the codename for a technology that employs NAND Flash memory to boot a computer or launch frequently used applications. The advantage of using Flash to startup software does not only result in substantial acceleration, but will extend battery time as well: Today's hard drives can be responsible for up to 20% of the power consumption of a average computer system. If Flash can store all those small files that are permanently accesses on a computer, a hard drive would have to be activated less often - which, according to industry observers, could result in an additional 15-30 minutes of battery time in an average notebook.