Smaller DRAM Chip Allocation for Low-Power Background Processing

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Solution Overview

Problem

Dynamic random access memory (DRAM) chips consume significant battery power due to continuous refreshing, even when devices are inactive, leading to excessive power consumption and reduced battery life.

Innovation Solution

Utilizing a smaller, less power-consuming DRAM chip for background processing, while the main DRAM chip is used for foreground processing, and reducing power to the main DRAM when the device is inactive.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Use of energy by moving object

If the main DRAM chip is used for both foreground and background processing, then processing capability is sufficient, but power consumption increases significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepower consumptionVSAvoidprocessing capability

Core Design Contradiction:

Use of energy by moving objectVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent divides the DRAM chip into two separate chips: a main DRAM chip for foreground processing and a background DRAM chip for background processing. This segmentation allows each chip to be optimized for its specific function, with the background DRAM chip consuming less power since it only needs to maintain data for background tasks rather than full foreground performance

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent extracts the background processing function from the main DRAM chip and assigns it to a separate background DRAM chip. This extraction allows the main DRAM chip to focus solely on foreground processing while the background chip handles less demanding tasks, reducing overall power consumption

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

2Reliability

If the main DRAM chip is continuously refreshed to prevent data loss, then data reliability is maintained, but battery life is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata reliabilityVSAvoidbattery life

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDuration of action of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent employs a smaller, lower-power DRAM chip specifically for background processing tasks. This background DRAM chip accepts that it may lose data periodically but is designed to be inexpensive and low-power, allowing the system to tolerate occasional data loss in background tasks while preserving battery life

Inventive Principle:

Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

Data Source

PatentUS12461666B2Reducing power consumption by using a different memory chip for background processing

Publication Date: 2025.11.04 RED HAT LLC

AI summary

Power consumption can be reduced by using a different memory chip for background processing. For example, a computing device can determine that a first application executing on a device complies with an application programming interface (API) for using a smaller dynamic access memory (DRAM) chip of the device that is smaller and consumes less power than a main DRAM chip of the device. The computing device can determine the device is inactive. The computing device can perform, by the API, background processing for the first application using the memory chip.