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Memory Banking

Use of multiple memory banks for power reduction
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Description

If the software and/or data are persistent in one portion of a memory but not in another, it may be appropriate to split that block of memory into two or more portions. One can then selectively power down those portions that aren’t in use.
In many systems, the memory capacity is designed for peak usage. During normal system activity, only a portion of that memory is actually used at any given time. In many cases, it is possible to divide the memory into two or more sections, and selectively power down unused sections of the memory.

With increasing SoC memory capacity, reducing the power consumed by memories is increasingly important.

Memory splitting has variable savings on leakage power which are dependent on the software. There is a cost related to the insertion of power shut-off circuitry and it adds additional complexity into many stages of the design and verification.

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