Memory · Software component

Memory Lifecycle Manager

Software componentMemoryCognition & Memoryarc:MemoryLifecycleManager

A component that applies time-based, importance-based and load-adaptive decay policies to retain or evict stored memories.

Responsibility. Retains or evicts memories according to decay and importance policies.

Also known as: Memory decay manager, Memory evolution module, Working-memory pruner

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SHOULD be treated as a correctness requirement, consolidating, deduplicating and time-pruning memories, not as an optional optimization.
SHOULD apply aggressive summarization to routine episodes while keeping detailed encodings for novel, escalated or negatively rated episodes.
SHOULD keep recent sessions verbatim and compress older sessions into progressively coarser summaries (key decisions, then preference updates and unusual cases).

As stated by the sources; verify before use.

Removing memory evolution alone or link generation alone degrades ~8-12%; both together 22-25% (Ch3.7).
Recommendation agent: accuracy fell 78%->62% over six months; ablating memory evolution fell to 38%; explicit consolidation, deduplication and time-based pruning restored 77% (Ch3.7 case).

Patterns: Time-based decayImportance-based preservationAdaptive decayHierarchical memoryTiered storage by importanceDelayed lossy consolidation (retain originals 30-90 days)Exponential temporal decayRelevance pruningTime-to-live fact expiryPersistence (confidence) thresholdsSession lifecycle resetGraduated-fidelity memory aging
Quality attributes: Performance efficiency (ISO/IEC 25010)Functional suitability: correctness and validity (ISO/IEC 25010 | NIST AI RMF: valid)
Risks mitigated: Memory bloatMemory collapse from accumulated outdated preferences

Ch1.4: T. Nguyen, "Memory and Perception Systems," in Mastering Agentic AI Systems: Guide for the NVIDIA NCP-AAI Exam, 1st ed. 2026, ch. 1.4. ISBN: 9798244538229.
Ch3.7: T. Nguyen, "Tool Usage Auditing," in Mastering Agentic AI Systems: Guide for the NVIDIA NCP-AAI Exam, 1st ed. 2026, ch. 3.7. ISBN: 9798244538229.
Ch5.1: T. Nguyen, "Chain-of-Thought (CoT) Fundamentals," in Mastering Agentic AI Systems: Guide for the NVIDIA NCP-AAI Exam, 1st ed. 2026, ch. 5.1. ISBN: 9798244538229.
Ch5.7: T. Nguyen, "Episodic Memory," in Mastering Agentic AI Systems: Guide for the NVIDIA NCP-AAI Exam, 1st ed. 2026, ch. 5.7. ISBN: 9798244538229.
Ch5.11: T. Nguyen, "Rule-Based Decision Making Fundamentals," in Mastering Agentic AI Systems: Guide for the NVIDIA NCP-AAI Exam, 1st ed. 2026, ch. 5.11. ISBN: 9798244538229.
Ch10.2: T. Nguyen, "Proactive Agents," in Mastering Agentic AI Systems: Guide for the NVIDIA NCP-AAI Exam, 1st ed. 2026, ch. 10.2. ISBN: 9798244538229.