Abstract
Banked memories, such as synchronous dynamic random-access memories (SDRAM), can suffer from insufficient bank-group diversity whereby more banks are activated within a bank group than across bank groups. This leads to inefficient command scheduling, longer inter-command delays, and reduced memory bandwidth. This disclosure describes techniques to optimize the timing of column-level read/write commands and enhance bank-group diversity of banked SDRAM memories by prioritizing activate (ACT) and precharge (PRE) commands to the SDRAM. The techniques increase the number of banks open across different bank-groups, such that read/write commands subsequent to activation can be issued with improved inter-command timing. A metric, referred to as the ACT-bank-diversity score, assigns a higher score to an ACT request that goes to a bank group with fewer open banks. Another metric, referred to as the PRE-bank-diversity score, assigns a higher score to PRE requests that go to a bank group with more open banks. A score-based scheme arbitrates between ACT and PRE requests present in a request-buffer and selects them in a prioritized order to enhance bank-group diversity.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Majumder, Anirban; Sangaiyah, Pandithurai; Natarajan, Ashok Kumar; and Kao, Chih-Hen, "Divergent Bank-Group Scheduling in SDRAMs via Score-based Arbitration", Technical Disclosure Commons, (August 08, 2025)
https://www.tdcommons.org/dpubs_series/8442