Patent ID: 7228401

Claim:
In a processor having a register file comprising a plurality of registers and a broadcast specifier corresponding to the register file, a method comprising: providing storage circuitry which stores the broadcast specifier, the broadcast specifier comprising a plurality of broadcast indicators, each broadcast indicator within the plurality of broadcast indicators corresponding to one of the plurality of registers and indicating whether or not a write to the corresponding register is to be broadcasted via a coprocessor communication bus; receiving an operand to be written to said register file; selecting one of said plurality of registers in said register file; providing to said register file said operand to be written to said register file; and selectively providing via said coprocessor communication bus said operand to be written in said register file based on the broadcast specifier, wherein said operand is provided to said coprocessor communication bus when the broadcast indicator corresponding to the selected one of said plurality of registers indicates that broadcasting is enabled and said operand is not provided to said coprocessor communication bus when the broadcast indicator corresponding to the selected one of said plurality of registers indicates that broadcasting is not enabled.