Dual-port RAM is a type of specialty random-access memory that allows for two concurrent memory accesses simultaneously by two independent entities. This implies that dual-ported memory contains a set of two independent sets of address, data, and control lines.
What is Dual-Port RAM used for?
One of dual-port RAM's earliest uses was in early computer systems where a dual-ported memory would serve as an efficient location to store two operands of an two operand instruction and the operands' result after the instruction had been evaluated.
The most common use of dual-port RAM today is in communications where ever two processors, parts, or systems need to communicate with eachother. However, it should be noted that there are many ways to emulate dual-port RAM by using conventional memory and an intelligent micro-processor or micro-controller in combination with a multiplexer to share the I/O pins of the RAM, but many designers do not wish to add the additional overhead.