Cache memories fall under primary memory category. As we all know, Cache memory is used to reduce the access time of memory by CPU. Cache memory acts as buffer to speed up memory operations. For such requirements, Cache memory must be the fastest memory. Frequently accessed data and instructions are stored in cache for faster access. As a part of normal operation sequence, CPU first checks cache memory before talking to DRAM on board. The operations between CPU and Cache happens in words. Cache memory is a volatile memory and contents of memory are erased once the power is OFF. Cache memory is graded as:
- L1 Cache
- L2 Cache
- L3 Cache
The memory used for Cache memory is SRAM. Full form of SRAM is Static Random Access Memory. Below is the internal block diagram of iMX6 UL Application processor in which the CPU platform shows the Cache memory - I-Cache, D-Cache, L2-Cache.
For the iMX6 UL, the L2 cache is internal to the processor. There are processors where the L2 Cache is external to the processor. Higher the Cache memory size, faster the operation of CPU.
Advantages of SRAM:
- Lower latency
- Low power consumption
- Faster access
- Due to it's structure, memory can be inbuilt to processor
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