Ternary Content-Addressable Memory (TCAM)
TCAM is a special high-speed memory used in routers and switches to look up forwarding and filtering rules in a single step.
What is Ternary Content-Addressable Memory (TCAM)?
It can match "don't care" bits, which suits IP prefix lookups. It is fast but expensive and power-hungry, which limits how many routes some routers can hold.