The memory system has become extremely important recently: memory is slow,
and this is the primary reason that computers don’t run significantly faster than
they do. In large-scale computer installations such as the building-sized
systems powering Google.com, Amazon.com, and the financial sector, memory is
often the largest dollar cost as well as the largest consumer of energy.
Consequently, improvements in the memory system can have significant impact on
the real world, improving power and energy, performance, and/or dollar cost.