What is intel optane memory and why is it called memory intel optane memory is a system acceleration solution for new 7th gen intel core processor platforms this solution utilizes the intel optane technology based on 3d xpoint memory media along with the intel rapid storage technology intel rst driver by placing this new memory media between the processor and slower sata based storage devices hdd sshd or sata ssd intel are able to store commonly used data and programs closer to the processo