Memory control system with incrementer for generating speculative addresses

摘要

A memory controller includes an incrementer for predicting a next address to be asserted by a processor. The incrementer, structurally a counter, is configurable to wrap at a wrap boundary and to indicate when a predicted address crosses a page boundary if the memory is in page mode. This incrementer provides accurate predictions even where successor addresses are on different pages or, in the case of address loops, even in some cases in which the successor address is not consecutive. Thus, the number of accurate address predictions is increased, enhancing overall performance. The invention has particular applicability to signal processing applications with instructions loops that cross one or more page boundaries.