AI engineering glossary · Computing foundations
What is virtual memory?
Virtual memory: A technique where the operating system gives each program its own private address space and maps it onto physical RAM and disk as needed. It isolates programs from each other and lets them use more memory than is physically installed.
Virtual memory: an example
Two Python processes can both use memory address 1000 without touching each other's data because each has its own mapping.
Related terms
More Computing foundations terms
- Virtual private network
- Von Neumann architecture
- VRAM
- Wide area network
- x86
- Application programming interface
- ARM architecture
- ASCII
Where you learn it
Virtual memory is part of the AI Engineering Program, which teaches it with notes, a hands-on lab and an exam. The first lesson is free.