Uniform memory access: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 15:38, 8 March 2013

Revision as of 21:21, 26 June 2013

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Uniform Memory Access computer architectures are often contrasted with [[Non-Uniform Memory Access]] (NUMA) architectures.

In the UMA architecture, each processor may use a private cache. Peripherals are also shared in some fashion, The UMA model is suitable for general purpose and time sharing applications by multiple users. It can be used to speed up the execution of a single large program in time critical applications.<ref>Advanced Computer Architecture, Kai Hwang, ISBN 0-07-113342-9</ref>

In April 2013, the term "hUMA" (for heterogenous Uniform Memory Access) began to appear in [[AMD]] promotional material to refer to [[CPU]] and [[GPU]] sharing the same system memory via [[Cache coherence|cache coherent]] views<ref>http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2013/04/amds-heterogeneous-uniform-memory-access-coming-this-year-in-kaveri/</ref>; similar technology is expected in upcoming consoles<ref>http://www.extremetech.com/gaming/154547-amds-next-gen-apu-unifies-cpugpu-memory-should-appear-in-kaveri-xbox-720-ps4</ref>. Advantages include an easier programming model and less copying of data between separate memory pools; disadvantages include increased contention on the memory bus.

<ref>Advanced Computer Architecture, Kai Hwang, ISBN 0-07-113342-9</ref>

==Types of UMA architectures==