A microprocessor into a memory chip

Outline

1 Introduction to IRAM

2 Inspiration of IRAM

3 IRAM-Architecture

4 Advantages of IRAM

5 Disadvantages of IRAM

6M Applications of IRAM
Intelligent Random Access
Memory
Introduction to IRAM
• History
 In a 1996–2004 research project in the
Computer Science Division of the University
of California, Berkeley, the Berkeley IRAM
project explored Computer
Architecture enabled by the wide
bandwidth between memory and processor
made possible when both are designed on
the same IC.
• Intelligence stands for
Microprocessor and RAM
stands for memory
Fig. 1 IRAM
• Merges RAM and Processor
Inspiration of IRAM
• Why we need IRAM???

problems:
 Processor-Memory Performance Gap
 “AWKWARDNESS” of high capacity DRAM chips
Inspiration of IRAM
• Solution of problems
 Provide a more cache memory

 Put the processor on SRAM

 Put the processor in DRAM

• Why select DRAM ???

 DRAM is 20 times denser than SRAM.
 Thus, IRAM enables a much larger amount of on-chip memory
than is possible in a conventional architecture.
Inspiration of IRAM

Time to be double
demand for processing 2 months
power and memory
Microprocessor 18 months
DRAM 120 months
IRAM Architecture
• The Key Technologies behind the IRAM technology are,
1) Vector Processing
2) Embedded DRAM and
3) Serial I/O Vector Processing

1) Vector Processing:
 Vector architecture deals with vector processing so represents
only PROCESSOR architecture
 Helps to study parallel processing of IRAM
 Parallel processing carried out by virtual processing of IRAM
processor
IRAM Architecture
• Advantages of Vector
Processing:
 high performance
on demand for
multimedia
processing
 low power for issue
of control logic
 Because of less
Complexity in
design it’s cheap
and very easy in
implementation

Vector Architecture of IRAM

IRAM Architecture

2) Embedded DRAM :
• Embedded technology means a chip is embedded into a device
for control and well execution of operations of that particular
device.
• During the fabrication the memory chip is embedded into the
microprocessor to produce IRAM. Thus IRAM becomes a single
chip into which both memory and processor are integrated for
high quality performance due to their coexistence.

• ADVANTAGES:
 High Bandwidth
 Low latency
 Memory Access frequency low
 Memory Flexibility
IRAM Architecture

3) Serial I/O Vector Processing :

• Due to POOR Processing of earlier technology, Serial I/O Vector
processing is used.
• Much more efficient and cost effective
• Enhances performance of IRAM by offering smooth and faster
path for data transfer without hindering memory and processor
performances

• ADVANTAGES:
 Offers very high band width in terms of GB/sec which is
greater than both
 Pin count is less
 Power Consumption is less than Parallel I/O
Advantages of IRAM

Energy Efficiency

Lower Latency Energy per memory access

= AEL1 + MRL1 x
Higher Bandwidth Decrease time AEL2 + MRL2 x AEoff-
chip
delay due to where AE = access energy
not multiplexing and MR = miss rate
RAM and
addresses and
Processor are Doesn’t need of L2
less BUS
on single chip cache. So
length. Also
so less BUS energy
doesn’t have
length and Efficiency is
parallel DRAMs
due to that HIGH.
and less no. of
Higher data
pins.
transfer.
Advantages of IRAM

Memory Flexibility

Board Area Over conventional

designs is the
Cost of Production Integrates several ability to adjust
chips into ‘One both the size
Fabrication of RAM Chip’. So, and width of the
and Processor SMALL board on-chip DRAM
is done in a area requires.
single
fabrication line.
 Disadvantages of IRAM

High Cost of Overheating

Testing even though the
Completely new Non Upgradeability heat produced is
Architecture Adding a of Memory Less compared to
For the processor Current
acceptance of would DRAM chips are processors
this new significantly embedded in the it may overheat
technology we
increase the IRAM chip, due to the small
have to discard So,we will not be
our current test time area
able to upgrade
products and
the memory
technologies
further
Applications of IRAM

• Scientific computing
• Lossy Compression (JPEG, MPEG video and audio)
• Cryptography (RSA, DES/IDEA, SHA/MD5)
• Multimedia Processing (compress., graphics, audio synth,
image proc.)
• Speech and handwriting recognition
• Operating systems/Networking
• Databases (hash/join, data mining, image/video serving)
• Language run-time support (stdlib, garbage collection)
 Applications of IRAM
• Nowadays, GIGABYTE is
manufacturing IRAM commercially

Package Content
 

• One GIGABTE i-RAM

• One SATA 1.5Gb/s cable
• One i-RAM CD Driver
• One i-RAM Manual
References
• IRAM - Chips that remember and compute, IEEE International Solid State
Circuits Conference
• Vector IRAM - ISA and Micro-architecture, Computer Science Division,
University of California, Berkeley
• Vector IRAM - A Media-oriented Vector Processor with Embedded DRAM,
Computer Science Division, University of California, Berkeley
• A Media-enhanced vector architecture for embedded memory systems,
Computer Science Division, University of California, Berkeley
• Memory-Intensive Benchmarks: IRAM vs. Cache-Based Machines,
Computer Science Division, University of California, Berkeley
• IRAM - Overcoming the I/O Bus Bottleneck, Denver, CO, USA
• The energy efficiency of IRAM architectures, 24th Annual International
Symposium on Computer Architecture
• http://iram.cs.berkeley.edu/
• http://wikipedia.org
Any questions?