Dynamic Priority and Multi-Key -TCAM Architecture for Scalable UltraLow-Latency Network Packet Transmission

Abstract

The rapid growth of cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and high-speed communication networks has significantly increased the demand for efficient packet lookup mechanisms in modern networking infrastructures. Recent industry reports indicate that the TCAM memory market is projected to grow from approximately USD 2.8 billion in 2025 to over USD 6.4 billion by 2034, while global data center traffic continues to increase annually due to the expansion of cloud services and hyperscale computing environments. However, existing Content Addressable Memory (CAM) and Ternary CAM (TCAM) based lookup architectures suffer from several limitations, including fixed-width memory structures, inefficient memory utilization, increased lookup latency, higher LUT utilization, elevated power consumption, limited scalability, and inadequate priority management under heavy traffic conditions. These challenges negatively impact network throughput and overall hardware efficiency, particularly in large-scale communication environments. To address these issues, this work proposes a Dynamic Priority with MultiKey TCAM (DPMK-TCAM) Architecture for Scalable Ultra-Low-Latency Network Packet Transmission. The proposed architecture integrates a Multikey Search Engine for simultaneous packet attribute matching, a Programmable Dynamic Priority based Multiplexer (PDP Multiplexer) for adaptive priority assignment and conflict resolution, and a Variable Width TCAM (VW-TCAM) for efficient memory utilization and flexible storage management. The architecture further incorporates matching percentage analysis, dynamic comparison, maximum matching identification, adaptive memory allocation, and feedback-driven optimization mechanisms to enhance lookup accuracy and processing efficiency. By combining intelligent priority control with adaptive TCAM organization, the proposed system aims to reduce lookup delay, minimize hardware resource consumption, improve throughput, lower power consumption, and provide scalable performance for next-generation networking and VLSI-based communication systems