Harvesting Idle Memory for Application-managed Soft State with Midas

Explore a groundbreaking approach to memory management in this 18-minute conference talk from NSDI '24. Dive into the concept of "soft memory," an elastic virtual memory abstraction that allows applications to utilize idle memory for storing soft state data. Learn about Midas, a novel soft memory management system that combines application-level runtime management with OS kernel support to maximize performance while ensuring safety and efficiency. Discover how this innovative technique can benefit various applications, from web servers to data analytics systems, by dynamically scaling soft state storage in response to changing demands. Examine real-world experiments demonstrating Midas's ability to efficiently harvest idle memory, deliver near-optimal application performance, and handle extreme memory pressure without exhausting resources.

NSDI '24 - Harvesting Idle Memory for Application-managed Soft State with Midas