Memories: Evolution and Types

This lecture covers the evolution and taxonomy of memories, from punch cards to modern semiconductor devices. It explains the differences between SRAM and DRAM, highlighting their speed, capacity, and cost trade-offs. The lecture delves into the physical implementation of memories, addressing address decoding and memory layout. It also explores the functional taxonomy of memories, including RAM, ROM, and special-purpose memories. The instructor discusses the abstract view of memories, memory interfaces, and the typical read and write cycles of SRAM. The lecture concludes by examining the challenges and optimizations in DRAM design, emphasizing the importance of memory hierarchy in computer architecture.