Shared Counter for Word Line Access Count Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
The increasing number of word lines in memory modules, such as DRAM, leads to a significant increase in the number of counters required for tracking access counts, which occupies a substantial chip area and increases costs, posing a challenge in efficient memory management.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a memory bank with extraordinary storage cells and a counter coupled to a word line access count control unit, which updates and stores access counts for multiple word lines, allowing concurrent counting and updating without a substantial increase in cost or chip area.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If thousands of counters are implemented respectively corresponding to thousands of word lines, then access counts of each word line can be tracked, but chip area occupied increases substantially and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple counters that would traditionally be implemented separately for each word line are merged into a single shared counter. The counter is controlled by a control unit that selectively increments it based on detected word line accesses, allowing one counter to serve multiple word lines through time-multiplexed operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The single counter is designed to be universal, serving multiple word lines rather than being dedicated to a single word line. The control unit enables the counter to function for different word lines at different times, making the counter multi-functional and eliminating the need for dedicated counters for each word line.
2Quantity of substance
If the total number of word lines increases to provide greater storage capacity, then memory capacity improves, but the number of counters required increases causing chip area occupation to worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The counter system is designed with universality to handle an increasing number of word lines without proportionally increasing chip area. The single shared counter can service any number of word lines through the control unit's selective activation, allowing storage capacity to scale while counter infrastructure remains constant.
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit automatically detects which word line is being accessed and autonomously controls the counter increment operation without requiring separate counter hardware for each word line. This self-service mechanism allows the system to adapt to increasing word line counts without additional counter resources.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and apparatus for accumulating and storing respective access counts of a plurality of word lines in a memory module are provided. The method may include: within a memory bank positioned in the memory module, providing a plurality of extraordinary storage cells coupled to the plurality of word lines; and utilizing the plurality of extraordinary storage cells to accumulate and store the respective access counts of the plurality of word lines, wherein multiple sets of extraordinary storage cells in the plurality of extraordinary storage cells correspond to the plurality of word lines, respectively.