Patent · US Active

System-wide power conservation using memory cache

US9568986B2 · kind B2 · utility

0Cited by
8References
19Claims
0Family size

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Key dates

Filing dateSep 25, 2013
Grant dateFeb 14, 2017
Priority date
Expiry dateJun 29, 2035

Classification

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

Abstract

A method, system, and computer program product for system-wide power conservation using memory cache are provided. A memory access request is received at a location in a memory architecture where processing the memory access request has to use a last level of cache before reaching a memory device holding a requested data. Using a memory controller, the memory access request is caused to wait, omitting adding the memory access request to a queue of existing memory access requests accepted for processing using the last level of cache. All the existing memory access requests in the queue are processed using the last level of cache. The last level of cache is purged to the memory device. The memory access request is processed using an alternative path to the memory device that avoids the last level of cache. A cache device used as the last level of cache is powered down.

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