Memory controller

A memory controller is a digital circuit that manages the flow of data going to and from a computer's main memory. A memory controller can be a separate chip or integrated into another chip, such as being placed on the same die or as an integral part of a microprocessor; in the latter case, it is usually called an integrated memory controller (IMC). A memory controller is sometimes also called a memory chip controller (MCC) or a memory controller unit (MCU).

Memory controllers contain the logic necessary to read and write to DRAM, and to "refresh" the DRAM. Without periodic refresh, DRAM will lose the data written to it. Some memory controllers include error detection and correction hardware.

A common form of memory controller is the memory management unit (MMU) which in many operating systems implements virtual addressing.

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