Methods and systems for storing variable length data blocks in memory

A memory system for storing a set of at least two variable length data blocks in memory, each variable length data block having a maximum size of N * B, wherein N is an integer greater than or equal to two and B is a maximum data size that can be written to the memory using a single memory access request, the system comprising:

• memory comprising:
• a chunk allocated to each variable length data block of the set, each chunk having a size of X* B, wherein X is an integer less than N,
• a remainder section that is shared between the variable length data blocks of the set, and
• a header section;
• and
• logic configured to:
• store, for each variable length data block of the set, a first P non-overlapping portions of size B of the variable length data block within the chunk of the memory allocated to that variable length data block, wherein P is a minimum of:
• (i) a number of non-overlapping portion of size B of the variable length data block, and (ii) X,
• store, in the remainder section, any remaining portions of the variable length data blocks of the set, and
• store, in the header section, information indicating a size of each variable length data block of the set.

A method of reading a variable length data block of a set of at least two variable length data blocks from memory, each variable length data block having a maximum size of N*B, wherein N is an integer greater than or equal to two and B is a maximum data size that can be written to the memory using a single memory access request, the method comprising:

• obtaining one or more headers for the set of variable length data blocks, the one or more headers comprising information identifying a size of each of the variable length data blocks in the set;
• determining from the one or more headers whether the variable length data block comprises at least one unit of size B;
• in response to determining that the variable length data block comprises at least one unit of size B, reading a first P units of size B from a chunk of the memory allocated to that variable length data block, wherein the chunk of the memory allocated to that variable length data block has a size of X*B, X is an integer less than N, and P is a minimum of:
• (i) a number of units of size B of the variable length data block;
• and (ii) X;
• determining from the one or more headers whether the variable length data block comprises a remainder portion that is not stored in the chunk of memory allocated to that variable length data block;
• and
• in response to determining that the variable length data block comprises a remainder portion, identifying a location of the remainder portion in a remainder section of the memory shared between the plurality of variable length data blocks and reading the remainder portion for the variable length data block from the identified location in the remainder section.