Built in Self Test - In Embedded memories
BIST is certainly not a new thing. You should be able to find a great deal of information if you do an internet search.

The software for testing embedded memories depends on the kind of memory. Non-volatile, preprogrammed memory can be tested with checksums. RAM is tested by writing various patterns to the memory and reading the results back. The choice of the best patterns to use depends on how the memory is physically constructed and organized.