Prefetch buffer and information processing system using the same
US5345560A · kind A · utility
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 30, 1992 |
| Grant date | Sep 6, 1994 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 30, 2012 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F2212/6026
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A prefetch buffer adapted to be installed between a cache memory and a main memory in a computer system having a CPU. The prefetch buffer includes a buffer storage having at least one entry for storing prefetched data and an address tag, which is to be used for searching the data, as a pair; a data searcher for searching, from the data stored in the buffer storage, for data having an address requested by the CPU; and an address estimator for determining an address of data to be prefetched next from the main memory, based on the address requested by the CPU and also on a history of the addresses of data prefetched in the past from the main memory; and an address generator for generating an address of data to be prefetched from the main memory. With this arrangement, it is possible to improve the hit ratio of the prefetch buffer regardless of the direction in which the access address varies.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.