A production implementation of an associative array processor: STARAN

The associative or content-addressed memory has been an attractive concept to computer designers ever since Slade and McMahon's 1957 paper described a "catalog" memory. Associative memories offered relief from the continuing problem presented by the typical coordinate-addressed memory which requires that an "address" be obtained or calculated before data stored at that address may be retrieved. The associative memory could acquire in a single memory access any data from memory without pre-knowledge of its location. Ordered files and sorting operations could be eliminated. Unfortunately, early associative memories were expensive, hence none found their way as the "main frame" memory into any commercial computer design.