Recently, a series of latest patches submitted to the Linux kernel confirmed that Linux will soon introduce a feature called "Cache Aware Scheduling" (CAS).According to the patch notes, this feature can bring an astonishing performance improvement of up to 44% under specific tasks.
The core of cache-aware scheduling is to enable the operating system's scheduler to sense the CPU's cache layout and load in real time.By intelligently allocating tasks, the ultimate goal is to maximize cache hit ratio while minimizing cache misses and cache thrashing.
The patch only applies to the CPU's main last-level cache, which is usually the third-level cache. The developers said that there is currently no significant benefit in applying this technology to the second-level cache such as memory.
However, cache-aware scheduling is not new. Microsoft has integrated similar technology into the kernel as early as the Windows 10 era and continues to Windows 11.
A typical example is AMD's X3D series processors. Relying on Windows' intelligent scheduling and chipset drivers, the system can accurately allocate game loads to cores with 3D V-Cache, thereby achieving performance improvements.
