Session 14 overview / memory: High-performance embedded memory

Summary form only given. Embedded memory plays a crucial role in today's VLSI applications — from high-performance computing to low-power consumer electronics. While scaling of technology feature size to the 32nm and 28nm nodes has enabled ever larger and higher performance on-die memories, it has also created growing challenges for the embedded memory designer. Growing device variability and power limitations are driving innovative solutions to maintain robustness and area efficiency in such aggressively scaled memories. In particular, peripheral circuit assist features have become the key to maintaining cell read and write margins to enable low voltage operation for dense SRAM caches. New strategies ranging from circuit-level techniques to fundamental changes in array architecture can also enable significant gains in area and power efficiency.