Project description
More memory for data-intensive applications
The rapid rise in social connectivity and e-commerce requires increasing computer memory to store and process larger amounts of data with low latency. But more computer memory means more memory errors, which can disrupt service availability and cause data loss. In this context, the EU-funded SHEPHERD project will develop cross-layer memory resilience techniques where software and hardware work together to prevent service unavailability and data loss due to memory errors in disaggregated memory with low overhead. As a fellowship, the project will capitalise on the existing strengths of the experienced researcher in the area of system software design for non-volatile memory and the expertise of the host on memory fault tolerance and micro-server architectures.
Objective
Data-intensive applications, such as search, social connectivity, and e-commerce, are increasingly relying on computer memory for storing and processing a large amount of data with low latency. Emerging disaggregated memory meets this growing demand by leveraging recent technology advances in high-density, byte-addressable non-volatile memory and low-latency interconnects to provide a large memory pool shared across micro-server compute nodes. With a larger memory density and capacity though, memory errors will become more frequent. Addressing such errors becomes paramount as they can cripple service availability and cause data loss. However, established hardware techniques for tolerating memory errors transparently to application software, originally developed for DRAM-based main-memory systems, become impractical at the scale of disaggregated memory due to increasing performance, energy and area overheads. This research will investigate and develop cross-layer memory resilience techniques where software and hardware work together cooperatively to prevent service unavailability and data loss due to memory errors in disaggregated memory with low overhead. It capitalizes on the existing strengths of the experienced researcher (ER) in the area of system software design for non-volatile memory and expertise of the host on memory fault tolerance and micro-server architectures. It will lead to several publications in top-quality venues and will inform forthcoming industrial efforts to develop resilient disaggregated memory micro-server architectures, thus contributing to the research output, visibility, and economy of Europe. Overall, the fellowship will give the ER the opportunity to reintegrate into a long-term academic position in Europe, after a long and fruitful research career in the academic and industrial sectors of the United States. The ER will emerge from the project with new skills and the capability to effectively lead his own research group.
Fields of science
Not validated
Not validated
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
MSCA-IF-EF-RI - RI – Reintegration panelCoordinator
1678 Nicosia
Cyprus