Title
Low-power memory hierarchies: an argument for second-level caches
Abstract
With the availability of high-performance, low-power microprocessors, portable computing is becoming commonplace. The prevalence of portable computers makes them the most obvious examples of systems in which power requirements are a significant design issue. This paper addresses the power tradeoffs of an important component of modern memory hierarchies: second-level caches. Thought by some to increase the total system power requirements, second-level caches can actually reduce the power consumed by the memory hierarchy — in addition to improving the overall performance. Power is saved by substituting second-level cache accesses for main memory accesses; given current memory technology, an active second-level cache and an idle main memory require less total power than an active memory by itself. Clearly, the amount of power saved depends on the extent to which main memory accesses are reduced.
Year
DOI
Venue
1998
10.1016/S0141-9331(97)00051-3
Microprocessors and Microsystems
Keywords
Field
DocType
Cache,Memory hierarchy,Power consumption,Low power,Trace-driven simulation
Registered memory,Interleaved memory,Semiconductor memory,Uniform memory access,Computer science,Parallel computing,Cache-only memory architecture,Real-time computing,Memory management,Memory map,Computer memory
Journal
Volume
Issue
ISSN
21
5
0141-9331
Citations 
PageRank 
References 
1
0.37
5
Authors
3
Name
Order
Citations
PageRank
J. Kelly Flanagan1579.92
James K. Archibald2632161.01
Jun Su310.37