Memory Sub-System Pre-Fetch Cache Miss Reduction

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Solution Overview

Problem

Traditional memory sub-systems experience performance slowdowns due to cache misses, which occur when data is not pre-loaded in the cache, leading to slower read operations.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a pre-fetch operation in the memory sub-system, where data is proactively read from a specified memory address and stored in the cache without immediate feedback to the host system, using commands like PREFETCH or XWRITE, to avoid cache misses during subsequent read requests.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If data is read from memory only when requested by host system, then memory sub-system follows simple access pattern, but cache misses occur leading to performance slowdown

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvememory sub-system performanceVSAvoidtime for read operations

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The memory sub-system performs preliminary actions by proactively reading data from memory addresses before the host system actually requests it. The controller monitors for pre-fetch requests and automatically loads data into the cache in advance, so that when the host system needs the data, it is already available in the cache, avoiding cache misses and performance slowdowns.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Productivity

If pre-fetch operation is implemented to load data into cache proactively, then cache hit rate improves, but additional memory operations increase system complexity

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecache hit rateVSAvoidmemory sub-system operation complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The memory sub-system serves itself by automatically monitoring for pre-fetch requests and performing data loading into cache without requiring direct host system intervention for each operation. The controller intelligently determines when and what data to pre-fetch, managing the caching operations autonomously based on monitored memory addresses and request patterns.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentUS12007898B2Utilizing a designated memory address to pre-fetch for memory sub-system with cache

Publication Date: 2024.06.11 MICRON TECHNOLOGY INC

AI summary

Various embodiments described herein provide for a pre-fetch operation on a memory sub-system, which can help avoid a cache miss when the memory sub-system subsequently processes a read command from a host system.