Management of caches

A method executable by at least one processor in a computing system, the method comprising:

• in response to a request to power down a first partition in a cache comprising at least the first partition and a second partition:
• selecting a cache line stored in the first partition;
• if the cache line will be used again, storing the cache line in the second partition;
• if the cache line will not be used again:
• invalidating the cache line, if the cache line corresponds to a first type;
• and
• storing the cache line in the lower-level memory, if the cache line corresponds to a second type different from the first type.

A cache controller comprising:

• a first interface coupled to a cache array comprising at least a first partition and a second partition for storing data;
• a second interface coupled to a lower-level memory;
• and
• a control unit;
• and
• wherein in response to a request to power down the first partition, the control unit is configured to:
• select a cache line stored in the first partition;
• if the cache line will be used again, store the cache line in the second partition;
• if the cache line will not be used again:
• invalidate the cache line, if the cache line corresponds to a first type;
• and
• store the cache line in the lower-level memory, if the cache line corresponds to a second type different from the first type.