No Z-RAM for AMD/GF

[3dilettante]

http://www.semiconductor.net/article/316595-GlobalFoundries_Outlines_22_nm_Roadmap.php?nid=357 2&source=title&rid=8242135

Just ran across a link to this.
Some interesting tidbits on what AMD might have at its disposal, and what it won't.

There is the hope for stacked-chips with one layer of RAM under the die.
This has been done in test chips, not yet for commercial volume, so this has a slightly better chance than most pie-in-the-sky ideas.

Z-RAM, one of the aformentioned pie-in-the-sky ideas, is out.
Instead, GF is going with T-RAM, which is a denser on-die memory technology that should be available a few years in the future.
GF is also hoping to narrow the process gap with Intel.

Nothing quite new with the last two items, but I give them credit for their optimism.

[bearmoo]

If on-chip memory pans out it might be a even bigger performance boost than the original K8 IMC, not to mention the prospect for laptops.

[Tahir2]

Interesting.. so in the chip memory hierarchy T-RAM would fit in where? L4 cache?

[rpg.314]

Well, I'd imagine they'd convert the L3 cache to T/Z/whatever RAM and increase it's size massively. Should this come to pass, this would lead to massive perf boost.

[RudeCurve]

Is this T-RAM the same as Mosys 1T-SRAM?

[fehu]

it must be a denser type of sram, but when we will see it?

[mboeller]

you can look here: http://www.t-ram.com/

Thyristor-RAM seems to be even more advanced as Z-RAM.

Technology: http://www.t-ram.com/technology/tech_extend.html

It seems to combine the speed of SRAM with the density of eDRAM. nice

[MfA]

Is this T-RAM the same as Mosys 1T-SRAM?
No, 1T-SRAM still needs a capacitor so it has the same problems with integration as eDRAM.

PS. well the T-RAM cell needs a capacitor too, but an extremely low capacitance one (it's not storing the charge necessary for read out) so it has a very simple topology.

[fehu]

Our team has proven the manufacturability and reliability of Thyristor-RAM technology by spending hundreds of man-years, processing thousands of wafers and creating an industry-standard 18Mb synchronous SRAM memory chip with excellent yield and reliability

keep working then :grin:

[hoom]

So this is just higher density RAM rather than a new type of non-volatile?

The 22nm fab announcement link talks of Through Silicon Vias, thats holes through the whole die & sticking a cache chip on the back?
How do they make the holes in the die? Laser a grid of holes?

[Squilliam]

No, 1T-SRAM still needs a capacitor so it has the same problems with integration as eDRAM.

PS. well the T-RAM cell needs a capacitor too, but an extremely low capacitance one (it's not storing the charge necessary for read out) so it has a very simple topology.

So the Ed-Ram on the Xbox 360 cannot be integrated?

Could the T-Ram be integrated since the capacitance is low (as in find a way?) I was wondering about whether any on die framebuffer would be viable for a next generation console...

[RudeCurve]

So the Ed-Ram on the Xbox 360 cannot be integrated?

eDRAM has been integrated for a long time the most famous examples are the Graphics Sythesizer and Flipper. eDRAM has never been integrated in CPUs because cpus never really had any special benefit from them unlike GPUs.