Intel Corporation

Inderpreet S Bhasin

Gary L Brown

R Guru Prasadh

A prefix decoder for decoding a plurality of prefixes of a variable length instruction code, in order to supply multiple prefix vectors to a multiple instruction decoder without incurring a one clock penalty. The parallel prefix decoder includes a plurality of prefix decoders, each coupled to receive an instruction byte from an instruction buffer, and in response thereto to supply a prefix vector that includes coded prefix information in a format that is easy to use by subsequent decoder logic. A multiplexer receives the plurality of prefix vectors, and if a steered macroinstruction has a single prefix byte, then a control circuit selects the prefix vector to supply to the macroinstruction decoder. If multiple macroinstructions are steered to multiple macroinstruction decoders, then a prefix vector can be supplied to each decoder.

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Beaverton, OR, United States of America

Inderpreet S Bhasin