A Method and Apparatus for Combining Independent Data Caches

Introduction

Data memory accesses are one of the single largest components of performance loss in modern microprocessor systems. This invention describes a way to make hardware memory systems more flexible, so that a given design can be configured to match the needs of whatever application is running, resulting in greater power efficiency and performance.

Benefits:

By allowing multiple data caches to be treated as a single logical cache with an adjustable sharing degree, a wider range of applications will run well on a fixed substrate, with more efficient communication patterns..

Features: Ability to alter the number of banks existing as a single coherence unit, as well as to change the degree of interleaving among the banks participating in as a single coherence unit.

Market Potential/Applications: High-performance, low-power data processing systems

Contact:

University of Texas,
Austin, USA
Website : www.otc.utexas.edu