Cache Controller

Computer Engineering

How It Works

A cache controller orchestrates high-speed memory data movement between processor registers and system DRAM. The controller dissects incoming virtual or physical memory addresses into Tag, Set Index, and Block Offset bitfields to query high-speed on-chip SRAM directories. When an address tag matches an active valid cache entry, data is serviced with near-zero latency; upon a cache miss, the controller stalls or pipelines execution while initiating a line refill across the system bus.

Governing Equation
T_{avg} = T_{hit} + (1 - h) · T_{miss} , h = N_{hits} / N_{total}