Keep Alive Memory (KAM)
WARNING: This page does not describe the selected car, but rather 30 other vehicles, including the 2004 Mercury Sable, 2004 Mercury Mountaineer, 2004 Mercury Monterey, 2004 Mercury Marauder, and 2004 Mercury Grand Marquis. However, it is still accessible from the selected car via links, so may be relevant.
The PCM stores information in KAM (a memory integrated circuit chip) about vehicle operating conditions and then uses this information to compensate for component variability. KAM remains powered when the ignition switch is off so that this information is not lost.