Cache Memory Organization
Cache Memory Organization The performance of a microcomputer system can be significantly improved by introducing a small, expensive, but fast memory between the microprocessor and main memory. This memory is called "cache memory" and this idea was first introduced in the IBM 360/85 computer. Later on, this concept was also implemented in minicomputers such as the PDP-11/70. With the advent of VLSI technology, the cache memory technique is gaining acceptance in the microprocessor world. Studies have shown that typical programs spend most of their execution times in loops. This means that the addresses generated by a microprocessor have a tendency to cluster around a small region in the main memory, a phenomenon known as "locality of reference." Typical 32-bit microprocessors can execute the same instructions in a loop from the on-chip cache rather than reading them repeatedly from the external main memory. Thus, the performance is greatly improved. For example, an ...