A new advance in cache memory technology could boost European chips manufacturing, reducing the dependence on the USA and Asia. Cache memory is a type of high-speed storage that temporarily keeps data used frequently, allowing processors to access them more quickly. Its optimization is crucial to improve the performance of advanced computers, such as those used in artificial intelligence and scientific simulations. The European initiative seeks to reduce the dependence on foreign manufacturers and establish a semiconductor industry in the region.
Researchers from the Technological University of Chalmers and the University of Gothenburg, in Sweden, have developed an innovative technology that improves the efficiency of cache memory in computer chips. This innovation is part of the European project European Processor Initiative (EPI), whose objective is to establish an own processor industry in Europe and reduce the dependence on American technology and Asian manufacturing. The research team, led by Professor Per Stenström, has found a way of making cache memory work more intelligently. Cache memory is a temporary storage unit within a chip that keeps data used frequently to accelerate processing. The new solution allows the cache to manage more processing elements (PEs) than current systems, which significantly increases the speed of access to the data.
“Our advance allows computers to recover much faster data than before, since the cache can manage many more processing elements than existing systems. This is essential for the computers of the future,” explains Per Stenström, professor at the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the Technological University of Chalmers and the University of Gothenburg. Improvement lies in more efficient access to information on how and where data is processed within the system, which optimizes memory administration and increases chip speed. This will not only benefit supercomputers, but could also apply to daily use devices in the future.
A step towards the technological independence of Europe
The development of this technology is part of a broader effort to strengthen the computer industry in Europe. Currently, the EU depends largely on American technology, with most of the manufacturing concentrated in Asia. This situation was exposed during the semiconductor crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, when chips’ shortage affected multiple industries. In response to this vulnerability, the European Union approved in 2023 the European Chips Law (European Chips Act), with an investment of 43,000 million euros to boost the production of semiconductors within the continent. However, as Stenström points out, ensuring chips supply is only part of the challenge: “It is necessary to control the entire development chain, from intellectual property to manufacturing, to guarantee the technological independence of Europe.”
The objective of the European Processor Initiative is to develop competitive computer technology at the global level and ensure that Europe is self-sufficient in this strategic sector by 2030. The new cache memory technology is an important step in this direction, by allowing European processors to reach a performance comparable to that of the main international manufacturers.
Supercomputers and beyond
One of the first uses of this new cache memory will be in a European high-performance computer system, which is expected to be one of the fastest classic computers in the world, capable of processing huge volumes of data for scientific research and advanced applications. “It will be one of the fastest classic computers in the world, capable of processing huge volumes of data for scientific research and advanced applications,” says Stenström. However, this technology will not be limited to supercomputers. According to the researcher, in a few years it could also be integrated into conventional computers, allowing faster and more efficient devices for everyday use.
The development has been recognized by the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences (VAT), which included it in its prestigious 100 list highlighting research with high commercial and social impact potential. The marketing of these components is being carried out by the company Infininode, with the financial and strategic support of Chalmers Ventures. With these advances, Europe takes an important step towards its technological independence in the field of computer science, ensuring its competitiveness in an increasingly digitized world.
Image: The demonstration of version 1.5 of the EPAC acceleration chip, which includes Per Stenström technology and his team. The chip will be used in a supercomputer planned for 2030. The chip is placed inside the black box under the fan (right image). Credit: Filippo Mantovani