In an interview with Software Engineering Daily, Nikita Shamgunov, CTO and co-founder of SingleStore, discussed the ideal use cases for in-memory databases compared to disk-based stores. An in-memory database is a database management system that relies on main memory (RAM) for data storage, providing ultra-fast access to data. With its 'memory first' approach, SingleStore combines horizontal scalability with SQL familiarity. It offers advantages such as immediate data availability, fast data loading and indexing, and the ability to handle mixed transaction/analytical workloads. Nikita Shamgunov emphasizes that in-memory databases are ideal for real-time applications requiring ultra-fast access to data, potentially saving time and money in the long run.