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Patents

IBM Patents DRAM Access Command Queuing Technology

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

International Business Machines (IBM) has been assigned a patent (7,913,034) for a "DRAM access command queuing" technology developed by four co-inventors. The patent, which was filed on August 1, 2007, describes a system that optimizes memory bandwidth in DRAM memory devices by prioritizing read and write access requests. The technology uses access arbiters to minimize dead cycles and optimize memory bandwidth, particularly in fast cycle DRAMs. This innovation is expected to enhance the performance of memory-intensive applications.

Key Takeaways:

  • The patented technology, developed by Jean L. Calvignac, Chih-jen Chang, Gordon T. Davis, and Fabrice J. Verplanken, uses access arbiters to prioritize read and write access requests in DRAM memory devices.
  • The system divides DRAM accesses into write accesses and read accesses, imposing a threshold limit on the number of accesses to each memory bank.
  • The write receive packets are rotated among the banks based on the write queue status, minimizing dead cycles and optimizing memory bandwidth.
  • The arbiter also includes the ability to determine access windows based on the status of the command queues and perform arbitration on each access window.
  • The technology is particularly beneficial for fast cycle DRAMs, which require high memory bandwidth for optimal performance.
  • The patent application was filed on August 1, 2007, with the full-text available at http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-adv.htm&r=56&f=G&l=50&d=PTXT&s1=20110322.PD.&s2=%28NY.ASST.%29&co1=AND&p=2&OS=ISD/03/22/2011+AND+AS/NY&RS=ISD/03/22/2011+AND+AS/NY

Statistics:

  • The patent was assigned a number (7,913,034).
  • The patent application was filed on August 1, 2007 (11/832,220).
  • The technology was developed by four co-inventors: Jean L. Calvignac, Chih-jen Chang, Gordon T. Davis, and Fabrice J. Verplanken.

Sources:

  • U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
  • http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-adv.htm&r=56&f=G&l=50&d=PTXT&s1=20110322.PD.&s2=%28NY.ASST.%29&co1=AND&p=2&OS=ISD/03/22/2011+AND+AS/NY&RS=ISD/03/22/2011+AND+AS/NY

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