Configurable Arithmetic Pipeline for SSD Controller
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Solution Overview
Problem
Data storage devices like SSDs face performance bottlenecks due to firmware limitations in handling increasing demands for logical-to-physical translations, leading to inefficient arithmetic operations that cannot be parallelized, resulting in overutilization of system resources and bandwidth.
Innovation Solution
A data storage device with a controller that includes a decoder multiplexer module, arithmetic pipeline module, arbiter module, and RAM access module, configured to determine and set pipeline depth and calculation parallelism values, enabling efficient parallelization of arithmetic calculations through a customizable arithmetic pipeline.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If logical-to-physical translation computations are completed in software code of the FTL, then the system has flexibility in implementation, but calculations cannot be parallelized and system resources are overutilized
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the software-based iterative arithmetic operations with a hardware arithmetic pipeline module that performs parallel calculations. The hardware pipeline uses dedicated arithmetic elements (adders, subtractors, shifters) organized in parallel stages to simultaneously process multiple logical-to-physical translation calculations, eliminating the sequential execution limitation of software implementations while maintaining configurability through control signals.
Solution Approach 2:
The arithmetic pipeline module is divided into multiple independent calculation stages, each handling specific arithmetic operations (addition, subtraction, shifting) for different bits or groups of data. This segmentation allows simultaneous execution of multiple calculation paths within the pipeline, enabling parallel processing of logical-to-physical translation requests while maintaining the ability to configure the number of parallel elements dynamically.
2Ease of manufacture
If arithmetic operations are implemented iteratively using other operations, then implementation is simpler, but system resources and bandwidth are overutilized
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the fundamental parameter of arithmetic operation execution from iterative software-based processing to parallel hardware-based processing. The arithmetic pipeline module uses dedicated hardware circuits for each arithmetic operation type, allowing simultaneous execution of multiple operations in different pipeline stages. This parameter change reduces system resource utilization by distributing the computational load across multiple parallel hardware elements rather than sequentially consuming the same resources.
3Device complexity
If a fixed arithmetic pipeline configuration is used, then device complexity is reduced, but adaptability to different calculation requirements is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dynamically configurable arithmetic pipeline where the number of parallel arithmetic elements and pipeline depth can be adjusted based on calculation requirements. Control signals dynamically enable or disable specific arithmetic elements and pipeline stages, allowing the same hardware structure to adapt to different logical-to-physical translation scenarios (e.g., different mapping algorithms, different translation depths) without requiring multiple fixed configurations, thus maintaining low device complexity while achieving high adaptability.
Data Source
AI summary
A data storage device includes a memory device and a controller coupled to the memory device. The controller includes a decoder multiplexer (mux) module, a plurality of request/response channels coupled to the decoder mux module, an arithmetic pipeline module coupled to the plurality of request/response channels, an arbiter module coupled to the plurality of request/response channels and the arithmetic pipeline module, a mux/arbiter module coupled to the arithmetic pipeline module, a random access memory (RAM) access module coupled to the decoder mux module and the mux/arbiter module, and a RAM coupled to the mux/arbiter module. The controller is configured to determine a pipeline depth value and a calculation parallelism value of the arithmetic pipeline module and configure the arithmetic pipeline module based on the determining.