Volatile memory is faster than non-volatile; it is byte-addressable; and it can be written to arbitrarily, without concerns about wear and device lifespan.
There are many emerging non-volatile memories in development and a few that have been launched including Magnetoresistive RAM (MRAM), Intel's 3D XPoint (discontinued in 2022), Nano-RAM based on carbon nanotubes.
Intel and Micron have released in 2017, then discontinued in 2022, the 3D XPoint PCM technology, but it never was sold in DIMM format, contrary to announcements.
However, batteries are disfavored in computer components because they have a limited lifespan, they may be regarded as hazardous waste, and may contain heavy metals[citation needed] which violate RoHS compliance.
NVDIMMs have moved beyond RAID applications into fast storage appliances or in-memory processing for the data center and cloud computing.