With the rise of artificial intelligence and the explosive demand for data storage and computing, the improvement of memory and the efficient storage and computing efficiency similar to that of human brain are urgently needed. Therefore, it is necessary to study phase change memory and its application in neuromorphic computation. The change of resistance caused by the excitation of phase change materials (PCMs) can be used to build the spike neural network and realize the simulation of neural morphological computing system. This paper introduces the physical mechanism of phase change memory, including the phase change principle and main performance characteristics of phase change materials, and focuses on the research progress and application of phase change memory, so as to provide reference for the future development direction of this field.