Methods and apparatus for software-defined coherent caching of pooled memory. The pooled memory is implemented in an environment having a disaggregated architecture where compute resources such as compute platforms are connected to disaggregated memory via a network or fabric. Software-defined caching policies are implemented in hardware in a processor SoC or discrete device such as a Network Interface Controller (NIC) by programming logic in an FPGA or accelerator on the SoC or discrete device. The programmed logic is configured to implement software-defined caching policies in hardware for effecting disaggregated memory (DM) caching in an associated DM cache of at least a portion of an address space allocated for the software application in the disaggregated memory. In connection with DM cache operations, such as cache lines evicted from a CPU, logic implemented in hardware determines whether a cache line in a DM cache is to be convicted and implements the software-defined caching policy for the DM cache including associated memory coherency operations.