Object-Oriented Simulation of Non-Volatile Memory (NVM) Arrays with Pareto Frontiers

Penn collection
Interdisciplinary Centers, Units and Projects::Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships (CURF)::Fall Research Expo
Degree type
Discipline
Electrical Engineering
Subject
Non-volatile Memory
NVM
Funder
Grant number
Copyright date
2025-09-26
Distributor
Related resources
Author
Segimoto, Kai
Radway, Robert
Contributor
Abstract

Emerging non-volatile memories (NVMs) such as RRAM, PCM, and MRAM promise significant benefits in speed, density, and energy efficiency, but current simulation tools often misrepresent their behavior. Industry relies on proprietary flows, while widely used academic tools like NVSim apply SRAM-centric delay models (e.g., Seevinck precharge RC), which fail to capture current-mode sensing and amplifier-driven dynamics in resistive memories. This work develops a Python-based, object-oriented NVM simulator designed for extensibility and accuracy across diverse memory types. By treating memory cell type as a parameter, the tool incorporates amplifier-aware models to replace legacy delay assumptions and enables exploration of design trade-offs. Instead of reporting a single “optimized” configuration, the simulator generates Pareto frontiers spanning latency, energy, and area, allowing architects to align designs with application-specific goals. This open-source platform bridges the gap between proprietary foundry tools and academic needs, advancing benchmarking, teaching, and research in memory system design.

Advisor
Date of presentation
2025-09-15
Conference name
Conference dates
Conference location
Date Range for Data Collection (Start Date)
Date Range for Data Collection (End Date)
Digital Object Identifier
Series name and number
Volume number
Issue number
Publisher
Publisher DOI
Journal Issue
Comments
This project was supported with funding from the Penn Undergraduate Research Mentoring (PURM) program.
Recommended citation
Collection