Combined DRAM and logic chip for massively parallel systems

A new 5 V 0.8 μm CMOS technology merges 100 K custom circuits and 4.5 Mb DRAM onto a single die that supports both high density memory and significant computing logic. One of the first chips built with this technology implements a unique Processor-In-Memory (PIM) computer architecture termed EXECUBE and has 8 separate 25 MHz CPU macros and 16 separate 32 K×9 b DRAM macros on a single die. These macros are organized together to provide a single part type for scaleable massively parallel processing applications, particularly embedded ones where minimal glue logic is desired. Each chip delivers 50 Mips of performance at 2.7 W. This paper overviews the basic chip technology and organization some projections on the future of EXECUBE-like PIM chips, and finally some lessons to be learned as to why this technology should radically affect the way we ought think about computer architecture