Chrome , in addition to being one of the most installed programs in the world, is also one of the most memory-consuming and causing the most crashes and problems on computers. This is because the browser needs a large amount of memory to function and move all the information that we load in each of the tabs. Therefore, it is easy to find that this browser consumes 2, 3, 4 or more GB of RAM while we use it normally. And this makes our computer unable to with it and crashes. Luckily, Google already has everything planned to end these problems in 2021.
With the arrival of Windows 10 20H1, the 2004 version of Windows, Microsoft improved the operation of ” Segment Heap ” in the operating system. This feature is part of the Chromium code, and is present in both Chrome and Edge. Its goal is simple: reduce RAM usage in Win32 desktop applications in a similar way to how it is achieved with UWP apps from the Store.
Edge, Microsoft’s browser based on Chromium, managed to save about 30% of RAM memory after implementing this function. Google was doing tests with it, but realized that, although the savings were real, CPU use also skyrocketed, so it decided to leave it, for now, in the inkwell.
Now, Google has its own RAM saving system, similar to the “Segment Heap”, but without the problems of this. And we will be able to see it very soon in the browser.
PartitionAlloc-Everywhere, the Chrome revolution
Google is currently working on a new feature called ” PartitionAlloc-Everywhere “, the main purpose of which, as the company indicates, is to address the Segment Heap issues. This new function depends on the Microsoft API, and manages to reduce the consumption of RAM memory of the browser, as well as improve the allocations of Chrome and improve security and stability.
Thanks to this function, Chrome will be able to be much more efficient and secure, also eliminating the locks generated by a very high consumption of memory and resources.
In addition to reducing memory, Chrome also works on another function, TerminateProcess , which will allow us to end processes of the browser itself with fewer problems. To do this, we will simply have to do it from its own task manager, finishing what we want and do not need without fear of blocking the browser or the entire PC.
When will this upgrade come?
At the moment, Google has not made any statement about this project or its availability. It is believed that in the first quarter of 2021 we will be able to see ParitionAlloc in operation within the Canary branch, surely activating it with a flag. However, it will not be until the second half of next year when this feature reaches all users in the stable branch of the browser. It is a long and complicated development.
Of course, it must be taken into account that Segment Heap and ParitionAlloc will not work the same on all computers. Depending on the hardware and configuration of each one, one technique may work better than another. And this can be a compelling reason to leave Chrome and try Edge, or the other way around.