Patent ID: 7996624
Filing Date: 2011-08-09
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A processor comprising: a prefetch unit comprising a prefetch buffer, wherein the prefetch buffer comprises a plurality of entries, and wherein each entry of the plurality of entries is configured to store data describing a prefetch stream, wherein the data includes a value indicative of a number of permissible prefetch requests for the prefetch stream, and wherein the prefetch unit is configured to detect that a first load operation executed by the processor consumes data prefetched in a first prefetch stream corresponding to a first entry of the plurality of entries, and wherein the prefetch unit is configured to update the value in the first entry to increase the number of permissible prefetch requests for the first prefetch stream in response to detecting that the first load operation hits the first entry; and a data cache coupled to the prefetch unit, wherein the prefetch unit is configured to generate prefetch requests responsive to the prefetch streams to prefetch data in to the data cache.