Non-Zero Selection Circuitry for Memory Word Transfer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing memory systems face inefficiencies in transferring zero words, which consume unnecessary power and bandwidth and increase latency.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of non-zero selection circuitry that automatically searches for non-zero words among those received from sense amplifiers, ignoring zero words and conserving system resources.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If all words are transferred from sense amplifiers regardless of content, then data completeness is maintained, but power consumption and bandwidth usage increase unnecessarily
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and identifies only the meaningful data (non-zero words) from the set of all transferred words by using selection circuitry that detects and filters out zero words, transferring only the necessary data to reduce power consumption and bandwidth usage
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of transferring all words completely, the patent applies partial action by selectively transferring only non-zero words while skipping zero words, thereby reducing unnecessary data transfer operations and associated power consumption
2Loss of time
If zero words are transferred through the system, then no data is lost, but system latency increases due to unnecessary transfer operations
Solution Approach 1:
The selection circuitry extracts and removes zero words from the data stream before transfer, ensuring that only non-zero words are transmitted, thus reducing latency while maintaining data completeness for meaningful information
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies preliminary action by detecting and identifying zero words before they enter the transfer pipeline, allowing the system to skip unnecessary transfer operations in advance and reduce overall system latency
3Loss of energy
If selection circuitry is added to filter words, then power and bandwidth are conserved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The selection circuitry performs self-service by automatically detecting whether transferred data is zero or non-zero and making autonomous decisions about whether to transfer the data, eliminating the need for external control logic and reducing overall system complexity
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and apparatuses related to using non-zero selection circuitry. For example, the non-zero selection circuitry can determine whether a first word received from a first group of sense amplifiers has at least one bit having a first binary value, such as a logical “1”. In response to the first word being determined to have at least one bit having the first binary value, the first word can be outputted from the non-zero selection circuitry and a second word can be prevented from being outputted (even if the second word is determined to have at least one bit having the first binary value) at least while the first word is being outputted.