Modeling and Simulating Emerging Memory Technologies: A Tutorial

TL;DR

This tutorial introduces a simulation toolchain for emerging non-volatile memory technologies, demonstrating its application across various system design scenarios through detailed case studies.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive, open-source simulation framework for NVM technologies, with practical case studies for diverse system design applications.

Findings

Effective simulation of NVM systems demonstrated

Versatile application across hybrid memory, compute-in-memory, and wear-leveling

Open-source toolchain facilitates research and customization

Abstract

Non-volatile Memory (NVM) technologies present a promising alternative to traditional volatile memories such as SRAM and DRAM. Due to the limited availability of real NVM devices, simulators play a crucial role in architectural exploration and hardware-software co-design. This tutorial presents a simulation toolchain through four detailed case studies, showcasing its applicability to various domains of system design, including hybrid main-memory and cache, compute-in-memory, and wear-leveling design. These case studies provide the reader with practical insights on customizing the toolchain for their specific research needs. The source code is open-sourced.