Last level cache partitioning via multiverse thread classication

Authors: BURAK SEZİN OVANT, İSA AHMET GÜNEY, MUHAMMED EMİN SAVAŞ, GÜRHAN KÜÇÜK

Abstract: Last level caches (LLCs) are part of the last line of defense against the famous memory wall problem. Today, almost all processors utilize a LLC for the same reason. This study extends our previous work, which proposed a cache-partitioning mechanism using thread classification. Here, we propose three enhancements to the existing system: 1) an adaptive traffic threshold mechanism for more portable classification hardware, 2) a new method for classifying way-hungry threads, and finally, 3) a thorough comparison of two design alternatives. Compared to the original way- partitioning mechanism, we show that the proposed mechanism's performance improved by around 6%, on average.

Keywords: Cache partitioning, classification, multiverse

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