A distributed cache may span multiple servers so that it can grow in size and in transactional capacity.
The idea of distributed caching[1] has become feasible now because main memory has become very cheap and network cards have become very fast, with 1 Gbit now standard everywhere and 10 Gbit gaining traction.[when?]
Also, a distributed cache works well on lower cost machines usually employed for web servers as opposed to database servers which require expensive hardware.
The ICN is a network level solution hence the existing distributed network cache management schemes are not well suited for ICN.
[3] In the supercomputer environment, distributed cache is typically implemented in the form of burst buffer.