Method and device for controlling memory

A computing device comprising:

• a core;
• a cache configured to store partial information in a memory in a cache set comprising a single tag area and a single data area;
• and
• a memory controller configured to, in response to receiving a request for the memory from the core,
• track whether the cache is in a dirty state,
• predict whether the cache is hit, wherein the cache hit indicates that the cache includes data associated with the request, and
• transmit the request to the memory or the cache based on a result of the tracking or a result of the predicting;
• wherein the memory controller comprises:
• a tracker configured to, in response to receiving a request for the memory from the core, modify addresses of a cache group related to a physical address of the memory, increase counters corresponding to the modified addresses of the cache group, detect whether the cache group is in a dirty state based on the counters, and track a dirty state of the cache by managing a dirty list comprising the cache group in the dirty state and dirty bits according to a result of the detecting;
• a predictor configured to predict whether the cache is hit;
• and
• a memory interface configured to transmit the request to the memory or the cache based on the result of the tracking or the result of the predicting;
• wherein the dirty bits indicate whether the cache set in the cache group is in the dirty state.

A method of controlling a memory, the method comprising:

• in response to receiving a request for a memory,
• modifying addresses of a cache group related to a physical address of the memory using a plurality of hash functions,
• increasing counters corresponding to the modified addresses of the cache group, and
• detecting whether the cache group is in a dirty state based on the counters;
• and
• managing the cache group in the dirty state and a dirty list comprising dirty bits according to a result of the detecting;
• wherein the dirty bits indicate whether a cache set in the cache group is in the dirty state.