Thermal Distribution Manager for Memory Device Temperature Management
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Memory devices in a pool, such as solid-state drives, operate at varying temperatures due to differing thermal conditions, leading to inefficient cooling where devices with lower temperatures are cooled unnecessarily, resulting in excessive fan power consumption.
Innovation Solution
A platform-level thermal distribution manager allocates data portions across memory devices based on their temperatures, strategically dividing high-frequency and low-frequency access data across devices with lower and higher temperatures respectively, to maintain an isothermal condition and reduce cooling power requirements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If fan speed is determined by the memory device with the highest temperature, then the highest temperature memory devices are cooled adequately, but memory devices with lower temperatures are cooled unnecessarily, resulting in excessive fan power consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by allocating data portions to specific memory devices based on their individual temperature characteristics. Cooler memory devices are assigned data portions that generate more heat (high-frequency access data), while warmer devices receive data portions that generate less heat. This localized adaptation of workload distribution to each device's thermal state allows the system to maintain adequate cooling for hot devices without unnecessarily cooling already cool devices, thereby reducing overall fan power consumption while still meeting thermal requirements.
2Productivity
If data portions are allocated uniformly across memory devices, then data access efficiency is maintained, but thermal variance among devices increases, leading to inefficient cooling and higher power consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by dynamically adjusting the allocation of data portions based on temperature parameters. The system monitors the temperature of each memory device and modifies the workload distribution parameter accordingly. When a device becomes cooler, it is assigned data portions with higher access frequency that will generate more heat, thereby utilizing the device's thermal headroom. This parameter-based adaptation allows the system to maintain data access efficiency while actively managing and reducing thermal variance across the memory device pool.
3Reliability
If fan speed is increased to cool all memory devices, then all devices are cooled adequately, but power consumption and acoustic emissions increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by selectively applying cooling resources only where needed. Instead of uniformly increasing fan speed to cool all memory devices, the system identifies which devices actually require cooling based on their current thermal state and workload. Data portion allocation is adjusted to concentrate heat-generating operations on devices that can handle the thermal load, allowing the cooling system to operate at lower overall power consumption while still maintaining adequate cooling for devices that need it. This partial application of cooling effort reduces both power consumption and acoustic emissions while preserving reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
Apparatuses, methods, and systems are described herein for a thermal distribution manager to allocate multiple data portions of a data object to be written into a plurality of memory devices, as well as to restore the data object. The thermal distribution manager also reads some of the allocated multiple data portions from the respective memory devices. The allocation may include division of the data object and is based at least in part on respective temperatures of the memory devices prior to a write time and the reading and restoration is based at least in part on respective temperatures of the memory devices prior to a read time. The thermal distribution manager may allocate the multiple data portions according to a frequency of access of a first data portion relative to a frequency of access of a second data portion. Additional embodiments may be described and claimed.