Samsung patents memory that cuts power based on heat and usage
Samsung has filed a patent for a memory chip design that uses a switch to cut power to specific parts of the device. The system decides when to cut power by checking the chip's temperature and how often the memory is being accessed.
In the filing’s own words
A memory device includes a memory cell array including one or more banks, a power gating switch disposed on a power path for transmitting a power supply voltage inside the memory device, a power gating controller configured to turn on or off a power gating operation of the power gating switch based on a temperature of the memory device and a frequency of an access to the memory device, and a control logic circuit configured to provide, to the power gating controller, temperature information indicating the temperature of the memory device and a counting value indicating the frequency of the access, wherein when the power gating operation is turned on, the power gating switch toggles in response to the access to the memory device, and when the power gating operation is turned off, the power gating switch remains turned on regardless of the access to the memory device.
What exactly they claim (claim 1)
1. A memory device comprising: a memory cell array comprising one or more banks; a power gating switch on a power path in the memory device, the power path configured to transmit a power supply voltage in the memory device; a power gating controller configured to turn on or off a power gating operation of the power gating switch based on a temperature of the memory device and a frequency of access to the memory device; and a control logic circuit configured to provide, to the power gating controller, temperature information indicating the temperature of the memory device and a counting value indicating the frequency of the access, wherein, when the power gating operation is turned on, the power gating switch is configured to toggle in response to the access to the memory device, and when the power gating operation is turned off, the power gating switch is configured to remain turned on independent of the access to the memory device.
Facts
- Company
- Samsung (Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.)
- Official title
- MEMORY DEVICES WITH POWER GATING CONTROL
- Publication number
- US20260321303A1
- Application number
- 19439098
- Filed
- Jan 2, 2026
- Published
- Oct 15, 2026
- Inventors
- 2
- Claims
- 20
Classified under
G11C 11/40626 Physics & computingG11C 11/4074 Physics & computingG11C 11/4087 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.