Patent ID: 8977837
Filing Date: 2015-03-10
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. An apparatus for processing data under control of a sequence of program instructions, said apparatus comprising: an instruction decoder for decoding said program instructions to generate decoded instructions, said program instructions including a conditional load instruction having a plurality of alternative outcomes, said alternative outcomes including at least a first outcome that is independent of at least one operand and a second outcome that is dependent on said at least one operand, said at least one operand being generated by a preceding instruction of said sequence of program instructions; instruction issuing circuitry for issuing said decoded instructions for execution, said instruction issuing circuitry configured to issue one of said decoded instructions corresponding to said conditional load instruction independently of when said at least one operand is generated by said preceding instruction; instruction execution circuitry for executing said decoded instructions issued by said instruction issuing circuitry, wherein said instruction execution circuitry is responsive to said one of said decoded instructions corresponding to said conditional load instruction to load a value from a memory to a destination register if a condition associated with said conditional load instruction is satisfied; and recovery circuitry for performing a recovery operation in the event that said second outcome is to be executed for said conditional load instruction and said at least one operand has not been generated by said preceding instruction when said one of said decoded instructions corresponding to said conditional load instruction is to be executed by said instruction execution circuitry.