Samsung patents memory that tracks data usage to save power
Samsung has been granted a patent for a memory device that uses a controller to monitor how often different parts of the memory are accessed. The system categorizes data as 'hot' (frequently used) or 'cold' (rarely used) to help manage power consumption more efficiently.
In the filing’s own words
There is provided a memory device including a memory controller with reduced power consumption. The memory device includes a first volatile memory including a first logical memory device and a CXL memory controller that controls operations of the first volatile memory and receive requests for the first volatile memory from a host through a CXL interface including a CXL switch. The CXL memory controller includes a coarse-grained global counter configured to count a number of requests received store a count value, a global hotness monitor configured to determine, based on respective ones of the count values, whether each memory unit is a hot unit or a cold unit, a hotness tracker controller configured to generate a first bitmap and a first hotness tracker configured to determine, based on the first bitmap, whether data stored in each of the plurality of segments included in the first logical memory device is hot.
What exactly they claim (claim 1)
1. A memory device comprising: a first volatile memory including a first logical memory device; and a Compute Express Link CXL memory controller configured to control operations of the first volatile memory and receive requests for the first volatile memory from a host through a CXL interface including a CXL switch, wherein the first logical memory device includes a plurality of segments that are physically separated from one another, wherein at least two of the plurality of segments form a single memory unit among a plurality of memory units of the first logical memory device, and wherein the CXL memory controller comprises: a coarse-grained global counter configured to count a number of the requests received for each of the plurality of memory units of the first logical memory device and store count values respectively associated with the number of the requests received for each of the plurality of memory units; a global hotness monitor configured to determine, based on respective ones of the count values, whether each of the plurality of memory units of the first logical memory device is a hot unit or a cold unit; a hotness tracker controller configured to generate a first bitmap for each of the plurality of memory units of the first logical memory device based on results of a determination of the global hotness monitor; and a first hotness tracker configured to determine, based on the first bitmap, whether data stored in each of the plurality of segments included in the first logical memory device is hot.
Facts
- Company
- Samsung (Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.)
- Official title
- Memory device, memory system including the memory device, and operating method of the memory system
- Patent number
- US12754858B2
- Application number
- 19070897
- Filed
- Mar 5, 2025
- Granted
- Oct 6, 2026
- Inventors
- 3
- Claims
- 20
Classified under
G06F 13/1642 Physics & computingG06F 13/4022 Physics & computingG06F 13/4282 Physics & computingMore from Samsung in Chips & hardware
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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.