[cbennett]

"Well, magnetic core memory is the only data storage format that is robust enough to withstand high-radiation environments. Jeri is clearly interested in magnetic logic and memory because it is the only computing platform that will be able to survive the first wave of nuclear blasts that will unavoidably come from the beginning of the third great world war. "

Erm, this premise is factually untrue though. A lot of next generation resistive RAM devices, especially OxRAMs, have been demonstrated to be rather rad hard, making them good candidates for future space electronics platforms or.. all the other attendant apocalyptic scenarios.

[sitkack]

Radiation hardness is different than sensitivity to EMP. It is the eddy currents from an EMPT that build up in and burn out small traces in micro electronics.

[std_throwawayay]

But magnetic cores are resistant to the M in EMP?

[platz]

I'll offer a wild guess - perhaps they are only temporarily affected (i.e. mem-wiped) and function as normal after device reset, being made of iron, in contrast to semiconductor doping materials being hard-killed by the emp.

[msl]

Drum memory [1] and hard disks [2] have been used in nuclear tipped missiles, which are supposed to operate in an environment where EMPs are expected. Both types use magnetism for storing data.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ASC-15 (Titan II)

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D-17B (Minuteman I) (note that the hard drive was used as RAM)