Join us for our upcoming SAFARI Live Seminar:
Speaker: Minesh Patel, SAFARI Research Group, ETH Zurich (former PhD student)
Date: Wednesday, October 4 2023, 14:00 Zurich time (CEST)
Where: HG E23 & Livestream on YouTube (Link)
Title: Reshaping DRAM Scaling by Enabling System-Memory Cooperation
Abstract:
Today’s DRAM suffers from worsening technology scaling challenges that threaten the continued growth of all DRAM-based systems. Overcoming these challenges requires new solutions driven by both DRAM producers and consumers. Unfortunately, the way we design and use DRAM today is becoming a significant limiting factor in addressing scaling-related concerns. In this talk, I will discuss our ongoing work that studies how the division of responsibilities between DRAM producers and consumers constrains each party’s overall solution space. I will review four promising directions for overcoming DRAM scaling challenges through system-memory cooperation. I will then discuss how, in each case, the most important barrier to advancement is the consumer’s lack of insight into DRAM reliability. Based on an analysis of DRAM reliability testing, I will recommend revising the separation of concerns to incorporate limited information transparency between producers and consumers. Finally, I will propose adopting this revision in a two-step plan, i) initially starting with immediate information release through crowdsourcing and publications and ii) culminating in targeted modifications to industry-wide DRAM standards.
Speaker Bio:
Minesh Patel received his DSc from ETH Zürich and dual BS degrees from UT Austin in physics and electrical engineering. His doctoral thesis focuses on overcoming performance, reliability, and security challenges in the memory system. In particular, his dissertation identifies and addresses new challenges for system-level error detection and mitigation targeting memory chips with integrated error correcting codes (ECC). He also worked collaboratively on understanding and solving the RowHammer vulnerability, near-data processing, efficient virtual memory management, and new hardware security primitives. Minesh’s graduate work has been recognized with several honors, including DSN’19 and MICRO’20 Best Paper Awards, the William Carter Dissertation Award in Dependability, the ETH Doctoral Medal, and induction into the ISCA Hall of Fame.