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In computing, the acronym PIM has several distinct meanings. The most prominent and increasingly relevant term in computer architecture is Processing-in-Memory, a design approach that places processing logic directly within or near the memory itself to overcome the "von Neumann bottleneck". PIM (also known as Compute-in-Memory, or CIM) is a computer architecture where a processor is integrated directly with the RAM on a single chip or within a memory module.

How it works

Traditional computing relies on a central processing unit (CPU) and a separate memory system. This architecture creates a data-movement bottleneck, as the CPU must constantly fetch data from memory and write results back. This process is slow, consumes a significant amount of energy, and limits performance for data-intensive applications. PIM mitigates this bottleneck by performing calculations directly where the data is stored. This reduces the distance that data needs to travel, resulting in major improvements.