static memory

This term refers specifically to hardware that maintains data through a flip-flop circuit rather than a capacitor. It is characterized by high speed and high cost, which typically restricts its use to small-scale applications like CPU caches rather than large-scale system RAM.

In technical discourse, it is often contrasted with dynamic memory (DRAM). While dynamic memory requires a refresh cycle to prevent data loss, static memory remains stable as long as power is maintained, making it more efficient for rapid, frequent access patterns.