The right thread

Rambus has unveiled an architectural breakthrough of applying micro-threading to DRAM cores. This innovation is said to significantly increase memory subsystem efficiency, resulting in up to four times greater performance when compared to a traditional DRAM in applications such as 3D graphics, advanced video imaging, and network routing and switching.

Micro-threading increases memory system efficiency by enabling DRAMs to provide more usable data bandwidth to requesting memory controllers. A single core operation of a typical mainstream DRAM provides a larger amount of data than needed by many applications. Consequently, large amounts of memory bandwidth are used to deliver a small amount of relevant data. Micro-threading enables the DRAM to provide several smaller relevant pieces of data in place of a single larger piece of data, resulting in higher memory bandwidth efficiency while minimizing power consumption.

With the application of micro-threading to a DRAM core, separate addresses are provided to different DRAM core partitions, enabling the requesting controller to generate multiple micro-RAS and micro-CAS operations in the same time it would take to generate a single RAS or CAS command to a standard DRAM. Simultaneously accessible banks allow for concurrent retrieval of data, which are then bundled into a single transmission.