Tile-Aware Sector Cache Reducing Tag Space Power
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Solution Overview
Problem
The increasing size of caches in processors leads to higher costs and inefficiencies in addressing the enlarged address space, necessitating a solution to reduce power consumption and maintain cache efficiency.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a tile-aware sector cache in graphics processing units (GPUs) that reduces the tag space, thereby reducing power consumption and maintaining high sector utilization, while leveraging spatial locality in graphics surface patterns.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If cache size is increased to improve hit rate, then cache efficiency is improved, but system cost and power consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The cache is divided into multiple banks, each handling a specific sector or tile of the address space. This segmentation allows the system to activate only the necessary cache banks for each access pattern, reducing overall power consumption while maintaining high hit rates for localized graphics data access.
Solution Approach 2:
The cache system implements sector-specific or tile-specific caching strategies where each cache bank is optimized for its designated address space sector. This local optimization ensures that each cache segment operates at high efficiency for its specific workload while consuming minimal power when not in use.
2Reliability
If cache size is increased to improve hit rate, then cache efficiency is improved, but system cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cache memory is segmented into multiple smaller banks, each dedicated to a specific sector or tile. This allows the system to achieve high hit rates for localized graphics operations using smaller, more cost-effective cache segments rather than requiring a single large cache.
Solution Approach 2:
The cache system dynamically activates only the necessary cache banks based on the current access pattern and sector being accessed. This dynamic operation allows the system to maintain high cache efficiency for active sectors while avoiding the cost and complexity of having all cache banks constantly available.
3Use of energy by moving object
If tag space is reduced to lower power consumption, then power efficiency is improved, but cache addressing capability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The address space is segmented into multiple sectors or tiles, with each cache bank responsible for a specific segment. This segmentation allows for reduced tag space in each individual cache bank since each bank only needs to store tags for its designated sector, thereby reducing power consumption while maintaining full addressing capability through the combined system.
Solution Approach 2:
The cache system introduces a new dimension of organization by dividing the address space into multiple sectors or tiles. This dimensional change allows the system to use smaller tag spaces within each cache bank while still providing comprehensive addressing capability across the entire address space through the multi-bank architecture.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and apparatus relating to tile-aware sector cache for graphics are described. One embodiment enables a sector cache implementation (e.g., in graphics implementations) to reduce the size of the tag space. The reduction in tag space, in turn, reduces power consumption, (e.g., via reduced ways). Moreover, cache efficiency is maintained by keeping the sector utilization at a high rate in one or more embodiments. Other embodiments are also disclosed and claimed.