Method and apparatus for initiating CPU data prefetches by an external agent
US7360027B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 15, 2004 |
| Grant date | Apr 15, 2008 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 17, 2025 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F2212/6028
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
An arrangement is provided for an external agent to initiate data prefetches from a system memory to a cache associated with a target processor, which needs the data to execute a program, in a computing system. When the external agent has data, it may create and issue a prefetch directive. The prefetch directive may be sent along with system interconnection transactions or sent as a separate transaction to devices including the target processor in the system. When receiving and recognizing the prefetch directive, a hardware prefetcher associated with the target processor may issue a request to the system memory to prefetch data to the cache. The target processor can access data in the cache more efficiently than it accesses data in the system memory. Some pre-processing may also be associated with the data prefetch.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.