Patent · US Active

Method and apparatus for shared line unified cache

US9361233B2 · kind B2 · utility

2Cited by
1References
20Claims
0Family size

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Key dates

Filing dateDec 20, 2013
Grant dateJun 7, 2016
Priority date
Expiry dateMay 8, 2034

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY02D10/00
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

An apparatus and method for implementing a shared unified cache. For example, one embodiment of a processor comprises: a plurality of processor cores grouped into modules, wherein each module has at least two processor cores grouped therein; a plurality of level 1 (L1) caches, each L1 cache directly accessible by one of the processor cores; a level 2 (L2) cache associated with each module, the L2 cache directly accessible by each of the processor cores associated with its respective module; a shared unified cache to store data and/or instructions for each of the processor cores in each of the modules; and a cache management module to manage the cache lines in the shared unified cache using a first cache line eviction policy favoring cache lines which are shared across two or more modules and which are accessed relatively more frequently from the modules.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.