Data placement across the cache hierarchy: Minimizing data movement with reuse-aware placement

Abstract

Modern processors employ multiple levels of caching to address bandwidth, latency and performance requirements. The behavior of these hierarchies is determined by their approach to data placement and data eviction. Recent research has developed many intelligent data eviction policies, but cache hierarchies remain primarily either exclusive or inclusive with regards to data placement. This means that today's cache hierarchies typically install accessed data into all cache levels at one point or another, regardless of whether the data is reused in each level. Such data movement wastes energy by installing data into cache levels where the data is not reused.