A Low-Power Precomputation-Based Parallel CAM

1. A Low-Power Precomputation-Based Parallel CAM Chi-Sheng Lin, Jui-Chang, Bin-Da Liu IEEE2003

2. Outline • Intro • CAM • Design concept of PB-CAM • Circuit Design of PB-CAM • Improved PB-CAM • Experimental Results • Conclusion

3. Intro • Parallel CAM function is used widelylookup tables, databases, associative computing, data compression, etc. • It need large power to achieve parallel CAM

4. CAM

5. Design concept of PB-CAM • To reduce the comparison between input and the stored data. • Add parameter extractor, parameter memory.

6. Design concept of PB-CAM

7. Design concept of PB-CAM With an m words by n bits CAM size PB-CAM: 1th comparison: m*upon[log(n+2)] 2th comparison: (m*n)/(n+1) Total=1th+2th CAM: Total=M*(upon[log(n+2)+1])

8. Design concept of PB-CAM

9. Circuit Design of PB-CAM • Traditional dynamic CAM: • The dynamic circuit needs an extra precharge time for each data searching operation. • The dynamic circuit has some problems, such as charge sharing and noise problems. • A clock signal is necessary to handle the circuit operation. • The noise margin of dynamic circuit is less than .

10. Traditional dynamic CAM

11. Circuit Design of PB-CAM • static pseudo-nMOS circuit • In the data searching operation, if the valid bit is invalid(v=1) , then the PM1 is turned off and the NM1 is turned on. • Otherwise, PM1 is turned on, and NM1 is turned off.

12. pseudo-nMOS circuit

13. Circuit Design of PB-CAM • Another problem of pseudo-nMOS circuit. • power dissipation • With an m-words CAM size input data only matches one stored data per data searching operation. m-1 data mismatching between stored data and input data per data searching operation.

14. Circuit Design of PB-CAM

15. Circuit Design of PB-CAM • parameter comparison circuit is used to control the pull-up PM1. • Therefore, the number of PB-CAM word circuits that consume static power is reduced to ((m/n-1)-1) .

16. Circuit Design of PB-CAM • Traditional CAM cell is constructed by typical nine-transistor six-transistor SRAM cell to store a data bit, an XOR-type comparison circuit containing two nMOS transistors, and an nMOS pull-down device to drive the word match line

17. Circuit Design of PB-CAM

18. Circuit Design of PB-CAM • Proposed PB-CAM cell five-transistor D-latch device to store a data bit and a NAND-type comparison circuit containing two nMOS transistors to drive the word match line. To achieve low-voltage operation, the feedback inverter (INV2) is a weak-driving design to allow the input data(BL) to be stored in the D-latch device easily.

19. Circuit Design of PB-CAM

20. Circuit Design of PB-CAM • Advantage: 1. Searching time is better 2. Simplifies HW design 3. reduces operating voltage • Disadvantage 1. Access performance is poorer

21. Improved PB-CAM • Because of the parameter extraction function • lot difference between probability of parameters.

22. Table of 14 bits ones-count parameter extractor

23. Block XOR approach

24. Block XOR approach

25. Table of 14 bits Block XOR PB-CAM

26. Experimental Results

27. Experimental Results

28. Experimental Results

29. Conclusion • Based on the precomputation methodology, the circuit reduces most of the comparison operations and transistors to achieve low-power, low-cost, and low-voltage features.