Cache coherence: A walkthrough of mechanisms and challenges

Abstract

Cache memory is a main component of memory hierarchy which plays an important role in the overall performance of the system and in the design of multicores. Multicores with shared memory architecture are used to satisfy increasing performance demands, which in turn is limited by cache coherence problem. This survey gives a comprehensive view and analysis on the various cache coherence mechanisms in modern architectures. With the availability of several cache coherence mechanisms, the selection of an approach depends on various parameters under consideration like storage, scalability, traffic, latency, energy etc. This article surveys the different cache coherence approaches and future design directions for improving the cache coherence mechanism.