Invention Grant
- Patent Title: Masked fault detection for reliable low voltage cache operation
-
Application No.: US17125145Application Date: 2020-12-17
-
Publication No.: US11509333B2Publication Date: 2022-11-22
- Inventor: Shrikanth Ganapathy , John Kalamatianos
- Applicant: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
- Applicant Address: US CA Santa Clara
- Assignee: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
- Current Assignee: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
- Current Assignee Address: US CA Santa Clara
- Agency: Kowert Hood Munyon Rankin and Goetzel PC
- Agent Rory D. Rankin
- Main IPC: G11C29/00
- IPC: G11C29/00 ; H03M13/35 ; G06F12/0895 ; G06F11/10

Abstract:
Systems, apparatuses, and methods for implementing masked fault detection for reliable low voltage cache operation are disclosed. A processor includes a cache that can operate at a relatively low voltage level to conserve power. However, at low voltage levels, the cache is more likely to suffer from bit errors. To mitigate the bit errors occurring in cache lines at low voltage levels, the cache employs a strategy to uncover masked faults during runtime accesses to data by actual software applications. For example, on the first read of a given cache line, the data of the given cache line is inverted and written back to the same data array entry. Also, the error correction bits are regenerated for the inverted data. On a second read of the given cache line, if the fault population of the given cache line changes, then the given cache line's error protection level is updated.
Public/Granted literature
- US20220103191A1 MASKED FAULT DETECTION FOR RELIABLE LOW VOLTAGE CACHE OPERATION Public/Granted day:2022-03-31
Information query