A survey of synchronous RAM architectures
Matthias Gries · Repository for Publications and Research Data (ETH Zurich) · 1999
The functionality of volatile random access memories (RAMs) in personal computers, em-bedded systems, networking devices, and many other products is based on an access scheme which was designed over thirty years ago. Since then a variety of dierent realizations has evolved. Due to the fact that VLSI designs for memory chips have always been optimized for area and not for access speed, RAM chips have become more and more the performance bottleneck of complex computing systems. This survey gives an overview of current memory chip architectures. The basic func-tionality of memories is explained and the advantages and drawbacks of each RAM type are discussed. By providing a better understanding of the limits of current RAM designs,