METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PREFETCHING BASED ON CACHE FILL BUFFER HITS

摘要

An apparatus and method for prefetching based on fill buffer hits is disclosed. In one embodiment, a processor includes a cache fill buffer and a prefetcher. The cache fill buffer has a number of fill buffer entry locations. Each load entry location is to store a load entry, including an address of data to be loaded into a cache. The prefetcher generates, in response to an instruction needing data from a first address, a request to prefetch data from a second address, if one of the cache fill buffer entries corresponds to the first address.