Multi-Agent Memory as Computer Architecture: Three-Layer Hierarchy and Two Critical Protocol Gaps Identified

arXiv / SIGARCH·medium signal

A March 2026 position paper (arXiv:2603.10062) frames multi-agent memory as a computer architecture problem, presented at the Architecture 2.0 Workshop. The authors propose a three-layer memory hierarchy: I/O layer (ingestion/emission), cache layer (fast limited-capacity for immediate reasoning), and memory layer (large-capacity retrieval/persistence). Two critical protocol gaps are identified: cache sharing across agents and structured memory access control. Existing frameworks like Letta and Mem0 support shared state but lack the protocol defining how agents read/write each other's memory — multi-agent memory consistency remains the most pressing open challenge.