An object of the present invention is to provide a compound storage
circuit that includes a storage circuit including a volatile storage
circuit and a nonvolatile storage circuit connected in parallel to each
other and that is arranged to be capable of an instant-on function by
storing information equal to storage information stored in the volatile
storage circuit into the nonvolatile storage circuit, the compound
storage circuit being capable of reducing power consumption, and a
semiconductor device including the compound storage circuit.According to
the present invention, in a compound storage circuit including a volatile
storage circuit and a nonvolatile storage circuit connected in parallel
to each other and a semiconductor device including the compound storage
circuit, a determination circuit for comparing first storage information
stored in the volatile storage circuit with second storage information
that has already been stored in the nonvolatile storage circuit when
storage information stored in the volatile storage circuit is written
into the nonvolatile storage circuit is provided, and the first storage
information is written into the nonvolatile storage circuit only when the
first storage information is not equal to the second storage information.