Cache Locality
Cache locality is a computer science concept that refers to the principle of organizing data and computations to maximize the use of cache memory, thereby improving performance by reducing the time spent accessing slower main memory. It involves designing algorithms and data structures so that frequently accessed data is stored close together in memory, allowing the CPU to retrieve it quickly from the cache. This optimization is crucial in high-performance computing, gaming, and real-time systems where speed is critical.
Developers should learn and apply cache locality when working on performance-critical applications, such as game engines, scientific simulations, or database systems, to minimize latency and enhance throughput. It is particularly important in low-level programming with languages like C or C++, where memory management is explicit, and in optimizing data-intensive algorithms like matrix operations or sorting. Understanding cache locality helps in writing efficient code that scales well on modern hardware with multi-level cache hierarchies.