7. Concluding remarks

3D DRAM technologies with chip stacking via technologies such as TSV mean that computing close to memory, after years of various unsuccessful proposals, is coming of age and may become an economically viable solution. This is shown by Samsung's Aquabolt-XL circuit, for example. Computing close to memory can be seen as a bit like the GPU situation in the early 2000s for scientific computing applications. Nvidia's leading role in GPU design, and the contribution of CUDA as a programming interface, have enabled GPUs to be used relatively simply and effectively as hardware gas pedals. Now that 3D memory technology has matured, it's the creation of an easy-to-use programming interface (API) that will enable the effective use of gas pedals alongside DRAM memories. No more than a GPU near a CPU, a gas pedal near a "classic" DRAM does not modify the overall system architecture.

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