NUMA stands for Non-Uniform Memory Access, which is a computer architecture design that allows multiple processors or cores to access memory in a non-uniform manner. In NUMA systems, each processor or core has its own local memory, which it can access directly and quickly. Additionally, there is a shared global memory that can be accessed by all processors, but with the potential for increased latency.
The concept behind NUMA is to minimize the latency involved in accessing memory by allowing each processor to have its own dedicated memory. This approach is particularly useful in multi-processor systems where memory access is a bottleneck. NUMA architectures provide better scalability as the number of processors or cores increase, as each processor can access its own local memory without creating contention for the shared global memory.
In a NUMA system, memory is typically divided into multiple nodes or banks, with each bank being associated with a specific processor or core. When a processor needs to access a piece of memory, it first checks if it resides in its local bank. If it does, the access is fast and direct. However, if the memory address is located in a different node, additional latency is incurred due to the need to access the global memory.
Overall, NUMA architectures aim to optimize memory access in multi-processor systems by providing each processor or core with its own local memory, reducing contention and improving performance.
