Content-addressable memory (CAM) is a type of computer memory that searches for data in the entire structure, making it faster than RAM but more expensive. It is typically used as supplemental memory during sleep mode or in specialized computers with large databases. CAM requires more circuitry and power than RAM, but needs fewer transistors and can return similar data words.
Content-addressable memory (CAM) is a type of computer memory that specializes in lookup operations; this has been used as hardware and as a data structure, but more often than not it’s hardware. Unlike random access memory (RAM), which works by looking at a particular address, content-addressable memory finds a word in the entire structure. CAM is usually much faster than RAM, because it does the entire search in one clock cycle, but as of 2011 it costs much more to produce. This memory is typically larger than RAM, but fewer transistors are required. Its higher cost means that the CAM is typically used as supplemental memory during sleep mode or added to specialized computers.
RAM and content-addressable memory act similarly in that they both look for data, but behave differently. When someone searches with RAM, the user points to a memory address and the RAM fetches information from that address. With CAM, the user supplies what he is looking for and the CAM searches all memory addresses and returns all instances of the search query. The CAM can also return similar data words, because they can be useful.
CAM looks for all memory addresses in one clock cycle, instead of just looking for one memory address, so it’s typically faster than RAM. Although it is faster, content-addressable memory costs more because it requires more circuitry than RAM. This memory also uses more power overall, because it looks up many more addresses at once, and more power is required to support this function.
The CAM is typically larger than RAM, due to the many circuits required for content-addressable memory to function properly. Most CAM hardware is the size of a compact disc (CD), and the hardware tends to be circular. At the same time, it needs about half as many transistors as RAM does, because cells can share a transistor.
Its limitations mean that the CAM is not typically used as main storage, even though it is faster. Instead, it is used to supplement RAM functions, especially during sleep mode. This prevents the computer from forgetting or losing data during a prolonged hibernation and tends to consume less power than RAM during hibernation. Some specialized computers use CAMs as their primary memory source, but they are often not released to the public due to their high cost. These specialized computers typically have huge databases that cannot be properly searched with RAM, forcing the user to rely on CAM.
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