Computer processor architecture for coalescing of atomic operations

Abstract

Techniques are disclosed relating to smashing atomic operations. In some embodiments, cache control circuitry caches data values in cache storage circuitry and receive multiple requests to atomically update a cached data value according to one or more arithmetic operations. The control circuitry may perform updates to a cached data value based on the multiple requests, in response to determining that the one or more arithmetic operations meet one or more criteria and store operation information that indicates a most-recent requested atomic arithmetic operation for the updated data value. The control circuitry may, in response to an event, flush, to a higher level in a memory hierarchy that includes the cache storage circuitry both: the updated data value and the operation information. This may advantageously smash atomic operations at the cache and reduce operations to the higher-level cache or memory (which may be the actual coherence point for atomic requests).