PREFETCH TAG FOR EVICTION PROMOTION

摘要

Various embodiments provide for a system that prefetches data from a main memory to a cache and then evicts unused data to a lower level cache. The prefetching system will prefetch data from a main memory to a cache, and data that is not immediately useable or is part of a data set which is too large to fit in the cache can be tagged for eviction to a lower level cache, which keeps the data available with a shorter latency than if the data had to be loaded from main memory again. This lowers the cost of prefetching useable data too far ahead and prevents cache trashing.

主权项

1. A cache prefetch system, comprising:
an interconnect configured for communicably coupling a processor, a shared cache, and a main memory; a processor cache prefetcher configured for prefetching a set of data from the main memory via the interconnect to a processor cache, wherein the processor cache is associated with the processor, and wherein the processor cache prefetcher tags a first portion of data from the set of data as unused and a second portion of data from the set of data as used; and a processor cache evictor configured for evicting the first portion of data to the shared cache via the interconnect and evicting the second portion of data to the main memory via the interconnect.