Cyclically sequential memory prefetch

Abstract

A memory access architecture and technique employs multiple independent buffers that are configured to store items from memory sequentially. The memory is logically partitioned, and each independent buffer is associated with a corresponding memory partition. The partitioning is cyclically sequential, based on the total number of buffers, K, and the size of the buffers, N. The first N memory locations are allocated to the first partition; the next N memory locations to the second partition; and so on until the K partition. The next N memory locations, after the K partition, are allocated to the first partition; the next N locations are allocated to the second partition; and so on. When an item is accessed from memory, the buffer corresponding to the item's memory location is loaded from memory, and a prefetch of the next sequential partition commences to load the next buffer. During program execution, the 'steady state' of the buffer contents corresponds to a buffer containing the current instruction, one or more buffers containing instructions immediately following the current instruction, and one or more buffers containing instructions immediately preceding the current instruction. This steady state condition is particularly well suited for executing program loops, or a continuous sequence of program instructions, and other common program structures. The parameters K and N are selected to accommodate typically sized program loops.