Western Digital Technologies, Inc.

Viacheslav Anatolyevich Dubeyko

Luis Vitorio Cargnini

Adam Manzanares

Luiz M Franca-Neto

Chao Sun

Seung-Hwan Song

Zvonimir Z Bandic

Kiran Kumar Gunnam

Cyril Guyot

Luis Vitório Cargnini

Embodiments of storage device architecture for processing data using machine learning are disclosed. In some embodiments, the storage device includes a separate I/O core and a neural network core. The storage device can create a copy of data streams in which the data is stored, and the neural network core can process the copy of the data streams in a neural network while the I/O core can perform read or write functions on the data streams.

Enhanced storage device memory architecture for machine learning

In one example, a computing system includes a device, the device including: a non-volatile memory divided into a plurality of selectable locations, each bit in the non-volatile memory configured to have corresponding data independently altered, wherein the selectable locations are grouped into a plurality of data lines; and one or more processing units coupled to the non-volatile memory, each of the processing units associated with a data line of the plurality of data lines, and each of the processing units configured to compute, based on data in an associated data line of the plurality of data lines, corresponding results, wherein the non-volatile memory is configured to selectively write, based on the corresponding results, data in selectable locations of the associated data line reserved to store results of the computation from the process unit associated with the associated data line.

Processor in non-volatile storage memory

A Memory Device (MD) for storing temporary data designated for volatile storage by a processor and persistent data designated for non-volatile storage by the processor. An address is associated with a first location in a volatile memory array and with a second location in a Non-Volatile Memory (NVM) array of the MD. Data is written in the first location, and flushed from the first location to the second location. A refresh rate for the first location is reduced after flushing the data from the first location until after data is written again to the first location. In another aspect, a processor designates a memory page in a virtual memory space as volatile or non-volatile based on data allocated to the memory page, and defines the volatility mode for the MD based on whether the memory page is designated as volatile or non-volatile.

Volatility management for memory device

A verification architecture described according to embodiments of the present invention validates changes made to metadata and may comprise one or more subsystems and phases. According to some embodiments, the 'mkfs' volume creation utility works in cooperation with the device driver to create a file system volume by means of reservation and initialization space for metadata structures inside the device's partition that is reserved for the specific file system volume. The storage device uses a verified area legend when checking write requests after the file system volume has been created. The verified area legends may be stored in a dedicated partition or inside the master boot record (MBR) or Globally Unique Identifier (GUID) partition table (GPT) or special memory chip (NAND flash, for example). Write requests that overlap with any extent of reserved metadata area must be verified to prevent metadata corruption.

Write operation verification method and apparatus

Embodiments of an improved memory architecture for processing data inside of a device are described. In some embodiments, the device can store neural network layers, such as a systolic flow engine, in non-volatile memory and/or a separate first memory. A processor of a host system can delegate the execution of a neural network to the device. Advantageously, neural network processing in the device can be scalable, with the ability to process large amounts of data.

Enhanced memory device architecture for machine learning

System and method of verifying validity of a metadata modification request to prevent improper metadata operations. During initialization of a volume in a storage device and once a metadata area is reserved for a metadata structure, information characterizing the metadata structure and metadata area is stored in the storage device, which may be in the form of an area legend composed of descriptors such as a magic signature, a node size, a clump size of reservation, and extent of the metadata area. Responsive to a request for operating on metadata, relevant information provided in the request is verified against the stored characteristic information. If the verification discovers an inconsistency between the information provided in the request and the stored characteristic information, the request modification is treated as invalid and blocked from operation.

Generalized verification scheme for safe metadata modification

A system and method for decentralized data processing includes receiving, by a first data processing unit of a data processing unit array, a user request and sending, by the first data processing unit, the user request to at least one of other data processing units of the data processing unit array. Each of the first data processing unit and the other data processing units include a dedicated non-volatile memory. The system and method also include receiving, by the first data processing unit, a code of execution results from each of the other data processing units that execute the user request, combining, by the first data processing unit, the code of execution results from the each of the other data processing units that execute the user request, and responding, by the first data processing unit, to the user request by transmitting the combined code of execution results.

Decentralized data processing architecture

A device includes a Storage Class Memory (SCM) and a secondary memory with at least one of a greater read or write latency than the SCM. At least a portion of the SCM is provided as an address space of a processor. An SCM smallest writable unit for writing data in the SCM is smaller than a secondary memory smallest writable unit for writing data in the secondary memory. An operation instruction is received from the processor to perform an operation on data stored in the secondary memory. The data is loaded from the secondary memory into the SCM for performance of the operation.

Data access in data storage device including storage class memory

In some implementations, a computing system is provided. The computing system includes a device. The device includes a non-volatile memory divided into a plurality of memory sub-arrays. Each memory sub-array comprises a plurality of selectable locations. A plurality of data processing units are communicatively coupled to the non-volatile memory in the absence of a central processing unit of the computing system. The data processing unit is assigned to process data of a memory sub-array, and configured to store the first data object in the non-volatile memory receive a first data object via a communication interface. The first data object comprises a first content and is associated with a first set of keywords. The data processing unit is also configured to add the first set of keywords to a local dictionary. The local dictionary is stored in the non-volatile memory. The data processing unit is further configured to determine whether the first data object is related to one or more other data objects. The data processing units is further configured to create one or more relationships between the first data object and the one or more other data objects in response to determining that the first data object is related to one or more other data objects.

Neural networks using data processing units

A processor includes processor memory arrays including one or more volatile memory arrays and one or more Non-Volatile Memory (NVM) arrays. Volatile memory locations in the one or more volatile memory arrays are paired with respective NVM locations in the one or more NVM arrays to form processor memory pairs. Process data is stored for different processes executed by at least one core of the processor in respective processor memory pairs. Processes are executed using the at least one core to directly access the process data stored in the respective processor memory pairs.

Processor with processor memory pairs for improved process switching and methods thereof

A system and method for allocating memory to a heterogeneous address space includes identifying, by an operating system, at least one superset feature from an application configured to be executed on a host device. The address space associated with the application includes a plurality of supersets, and wherein the operating system allocates the memory to each of the plurality of supersets from a non-volatile memory or a volatile memory based upon the at least one superset feature.

Systems and methods for heterogeneous address space allocation

Embodiments of an improved memory architecture by processing data inside of the memory device are described. In some embodiments, the memory device can store neural network layers, such as a systolic flow engine, in non-volatile memory and/or a separate DRAM memory. Central processing unit (CPU) of a host system can delegate the execution of a neural network to the memory device. Advantageously, neural network processing in the memory device can be scalable, with the ability to process large amounts of data.

A Memory Device (MD) includes a Non-Volatile Memory (NVM) including a first memory array and a second memory array. An address is associated with a first location in the first memory array and with a second location in the second memory array. A read command is received to read data for the address, and it is determined whether data stored in the NVM for the address is persistent. If not, it is determined whether data for the address has been written for the address after a last power-up of the MD. The read command is performed by returning zeroed data if data has not been written for the address after the last power-up. If data has been written after the last power-up, data stored in the first location is returned. In one aspect, a processor sends a command to the MD setting a volatility mode for the MD.

Volatility management for non-volatile memory device

A memory system includes a memory having a first executable memory cell and a compilation unit. The compilation unit is configured to receive a sequence of instructions from a host device, convert each of the sequence of instructions into an execution stream, load a first code from the execution stream into a code portion of the first executable memory cell and load a first data from the execution stream into a data portion of the first executable memory cell. The first executable memory cell is configured to apply the first code to the first data via an arithmetic and logic unit of the first executable memory cell.

Executable memory cell

A computing unit includes a data processing unit having a plurality of executable memory cells. Each of the plurality of executable memory cells includes a code portion for storing code, a data portion for storing data, and an arithmetic and logic unit for applying the code to the data. The computing system also includes a compilation unit for converting a sequence of instructions into an execution stream. The execution stream includes the code and the data that is executed by the plurality of executable memory cells.

Growing community of inventors

San Jose, CA, United States of America

Viacheslav Anatolyevich Dubeyko