Embedded DRAM (eDRAM) is becoming more and more popular as a low-cost alternative to on-chip SRAM. eDRAM is particularly attractive for frame buffers in video applications with ever increasing screen resolutions. However, eDRAM suffers short retention time and high refresh power, which prevents its widespread adoption. To save the refresh power of eDRAM-based frame buffers, we propose TieredReliability Memory (TRM), where the frame buffer is divided into multiple segments with different refresh periods and hence different error rates. By allocating most-significant bits to the most reliable segment, our four-tier TRM reduces refresh power by 48% without degrading user experience.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.