First Things First: A Discussion of Modelling Approaches for Disruptive Memory Technologies

Abstract

Disruptive memory technologies (DMT) are dramatically changing the architecture of modern computer systems and affect important design decisions throughout the whole software stack. For their success it is crucial that developers of system software and applications find ways to fully exploit the potential of the novel hardware. Having appropriate DMT hardware models is the key to successful optimization in the world of system software and application development. Therefore, this paper introduces four relevant new DMTs and corresponding performance analyzes as well as modelling approaches. We conclude with the insight that there is a lack of system-wide models that are practically applicable by system software designers for proper optimization and, thus, an important domain for future research.