| 摘要 |
Described is a system and method for a multi-level memory hierarchy. Each level is based on different attributes including, for example, power, capacity, bandwidth, reliability, and volatility. In some embodiments, the different levels of the memory hierarchy may use an on-chip stacked dynamic random access memory, (providing fast, high-bandwidth, low-energy access to data) and an off-chip non-volatile random access memory, (providing low-power, high-capacity storage), in order to provide higher-capacity, lower power, and higher-bandwidth performance. The multi-level memory may present a unified interface to a processor so that specific memory hardware and software implementation details are hidden. The multi-level memory enables the illusion of a single-level memory that satisfies multiple conflicting constraints. A comparator receives a memory address from the processor, processes the address and reads from or writes to the appropriate memory level. In some embodiments, the memory architecture is visible to the software stack to optimize memory utilization. |
