Shadow Memory Cell Swap Operation Reducing Clock Cycles
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional memory structures require at least three clock cycles to read data from a second-level memory, impacting thread performance by delaying data availability.
Innovation Solution
An enhanced embedded memory configuration with an accessible memory cell, a shadow memory cell, and background memory cells allows data to be restored to the accessible memory cell in two clock cycles, enabling faster data retrieval by performing swap operations between these memory components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If conventional memory structures are used for swap operations, then data can be read from second-level memory, but it requires at least three clock cycles which delays data availability and impacts thread performance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a shadow memory cell that pre-stores data before it is needed in the accessible memory cell. When a swap operation is initiated, the shadow memory cell already contains the data ready for transfer, eliminating the need to read from background memory during the swap sequence. This preliminary preparation of data in the shadow cell reduces the swap operation from three clock cycles to two clock cycles, directly improving data retrieval speed and reducing time loss.
2Productivity
If conventional swap operations are performed, then data can be transferred between memory levels, but the process requires sequential execution of decode, save, and restore operations across three clock cycles
Solution Approach 1:
The shadow memory cell is pre-loaded with data during background operations, so when a swap is requested, the data is already prepared and available for immediate transfer to the accessible memory cell. This eliminates waiting time and allows the swap operation to complete in just two clock cycles (decode in cycle 1, restore in cycle 2), significantly improving thread performance by making data available faster.
Solution Approach 2:
The shadow memory cell acts as an intermediary buffer between the background memory and the accessible memory cell. It receives data from background memory in advance and provides it to the accessible memory cell during swap operations, mediating the data transfer process and enabling faster operations by avoiding direct background memory access during the critical swap path.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and apparatus is provided to enable provision of requested data within two clock cycles when performing a swap operation between an accessible memory cell and a background memory in a computer. In a first clock cycle, memory addresses to be used in the swap operation are decoded. In a high phase of a second clock cycle, requested data is restored from the background memory to an accessible memory cell. Because the data previously stored in the accessible memory cell is duplicated in a shadow memory cell, the restoration of data to the accessible memory cell is performed without data loss. In a low phase of the second clock cycle, the requested data is available for reading. During a third cycle, data is saved from the shadow memory cell to the background memory, and the shadow memory cell is made consistent with the accessible memory cell.