Abstract: Techniques for prefetching by a hardware processor are described. In certain examples, a hardware processor includes execution circuitry, cache memories, and prefetcher circuitry. The execution circuitry is to execute instructions to access data at a memory address. The cache memories include a first cache memory at a first cache level and a second cache memory at a second cache level. The prefetcher circuitry is to prefetch the data from a system memory to at least one of the plurality of cache memories, and it includes a first-level prefetcher to prefetch the data to the first cache memory, a second-level prefetcher to prefetch the data to the second cache memory, and a plurality of prefetch filters. One of the prefetch filters is to filter exclusively for the first-level prefetcher. Another of the prefetch filters is to maintain a history of demand and prefetch accesses to pages in the system memory and to use the history to provide training information to the second-level prefetcher.

Abstract: System and method for prefetching pointer-referenced data. A method embodiment includes: tracking a plurality of load instructions which includes a first load instruction to access a first data that identifies a first memory location; detecting a second load instruction which accesses a second memory location for a second data, the second memory location matching the first memory location identified by the first data; responsive to the detecting, updating a list of pointer load instructions to include information identifying the first load instruction as a pointer load instruction; prefetching a third data for a third load instruction prior to executing the third load instruction; identifying the third load instruction as a pointer load instruction based on information from the list of pointer load instructions and responsively prefetching a fourth data from a fourth memory location, wherein the fourth memory location is identified by the third data.

Abstract: System and method for prefetching pointer-referenced data. A method embodiment includes: tracking a plurality of load instructions which includes a first load instruction to access a first data that identifies a first memory location; detecting a second load instruction which accesses a second memory location for a second data, the second memory location matching the first memory location identified by the first data; responsive to the detecting, updating a list of pointer load instructions to include information identifying the first load instruction as a pointer load instruction; prefetching a third data for a third load instruction prior to executing the third load instruction; identifying the third load instruction as a pointer load instruction based on information from the list of pointer load instructions and responsively prefetching a fourth data from a fourth memory location, wherein the fourth memory location is identified by the third data.

Abstract: System and method for prefetching pointer-referenced data. A method embodiment includes: tracking a plurality of load instructions which includes a first load instruction to access a first data that identifies a first memory location; detecting a second load instruction which accesses a second memory location for a second data, the second memory location matching the first memory location identified by the first data; responsive to the detecting, updating a list of pointer load instructions to include information identifying the first load instruction as a pointer load instruction; prefetching a third data for a third load instruction prior to executing the third load instruction; identifying the third load instruction as a pointer load instruction based on information from the list of pointer load instructions and responsively prefetching a fourth data from a fourth memory location, wherein the fourth memory location is identified by the third data.

Abstract: System and method for prefetching pointer-referenced data. A method embodiment includes: tracking a plurality of load instructions which includes a first load instruction to access a first data that identifies a first memory location; detecting a second load instruction which accesses a second memory location for a second data, the second memory location matching the first memory location identified by the first data; responsive to the detecting, updating a list of pointer load instructions to include information identifying the first load instruction as a pointer load instruction; prefetching a third data for a third load instruction prior to executing the third load instruction; identifying the third load instruction as a pointer load instruction based on information from the list of pointer load instructions and responsively prefetching a fourth data from a fourth memory location, wherein the fourth memory location is identified by the third data.

Abstract: A processor includes an instruction fetch circuit to retrieve instructions from memory, and a decode unit circuit to decode retrieved instructions. The decode unit circuit identifies a shift instruction, accumulates a shift folded immediate value to track a number of bit positions shifted for a source register, and prevents the shift instruction from allocation to an execution unit of the processor.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for early page address prediction. For example, one embodiment of a processor comprises: an instruction fetch circuit to fetch a load instruction; a decoder to decode the load instruction; execution circuitry to execute the load instruction to perform a load operation, the execution circuitry including an address generation unit (AGU) to generate an effective address to be used for the load operation; and early page prediction (EPP) circuitry to use one or more attributes associated with the load instruction to predict a physical page address for the load instruction simultaneously with the AGU generating the effective address and/or prior to generation of the effective address.

Abstract: An integrated circuit with support for memory atomicity comprises a processor core. The processor core comprises a data cache unit (DCU), a store buffer (SB), a retirement unit, and memory atomicity facilities. The memory atomicity facilities are configured, when engaged, to (a) add an SB entry to the SB, in response to the processor core executing a store instruction that is part of an atomic region of code; (b) cause the SB entry to become senior, in response to the retirement unit retiring the store instruction; and (c) cause the SB entry to become walk enabled, in response to the retirement unit committing a transaction associated with the atomic region. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Abstract: Disclosed embodiments relate to predicting load data. In one example, a processor a pipeline having stages ordered as fetch, decode, allocate, write back, and commit, a training table to store an address, predicted data, a state, and a count of instances of unchanged return data, and tracking circuitry to determine, during one or more of the allocate and decode stages, whether a training table entry has a first state and matches a fetched first load instruction, and, if so, using the data predicted by the entry during the execute stage, the tracking circuitry further to update the training table during or after the write back stage to set the state of the first load instruction in the training table to the first state when the count reaches a first threshold.

Abstract: System and method for prefetching pointer-referenced data. A method embodiment includes: tracking a plurality of load instructions which includes a first load instruction to access a first data that identifies a first memory location; detecting a second load instruction which accesses a second memory location for a second data, the second memory location matching the first memory location identified by the first data; responsive to the detecting, updating a list of pointer load instructions to include information identifying the first load instruction as a pointer load instruction; prefetching a third data for a third load instruction prior to executing the third load instruction; identifying the third load instruction as a pointer load instruction based on information from the list of pointer load instructions and responsively prefetching a fourth data from a fourth memory location, wherein the fourth memory location is identified by the third data.

Abstract: A processor includes an instruction fetch circuit to retrieve instructions from memory, and a decode unit circuit to decode retrieved instructions. The decode unit circuit identifies a shift instruction, accumulates a shift folded immediate value to track a number of bit positions shifted for a source register, and prevents the shift instruction from allocation to an execution unit of the processor.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a processor comprises a first prefetcher to generate prefetch requests to prefetch data into a mid-level cache; a second prefetcher to generate prefetch requests to prefetch data into the mid-level cache; and a prefetcher selector to select a prefetcher configuration for the first prefetcher and the second prefetcher based on at least one memory access metric, wherein the prefetcher configuration is to specify whether the first prefetcher is to be enabled to issue, to the mid-level cache, prefetch requests for data of a particular page and whether the second prefetcher is to be enabled to issue, to the mid-level cache, prefetch requests for data of the particular page.

Abstract: Disclosed embodiments relate to predicting load data. In one example, a processor a pipeline having stages ordered as fetch, decode, allocate, write back, and commit, a training table to store an address, predicted data, a state, and a count of instances of unchanged return data, and tracking circuitry to determine, during one or more of the allocate and decode stages, whether a training table entry has a first state and matches a fetched first load instruction, and, if so, using the data predicted by the entry during the execute stage, the tracking circuitry further to update the training table during or after the write back stage to set the state of the first load instruction in the training table to the first state when the count reaches a first threshold.

Abstract: Embodiments of apparatuses, methods, and systems for inter-cluster communication of live-in register values are described. In an embodiment, a processor includes a plurality of execution clusters. The processor also includes a cache memory in which to store a value to be produced by a first execution cluster of the plurality of execution clusters and consumed by a second execution cluster of the plurality of execution clusters. The cache memory is separate from a system memory hierarchy and a register set of the processor.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for early page address prediction. For example, one embodiment of a processor comprises: an instruction fetch circuit to fetch a load instruction; a decoder to decode the load instruction; execution circuitry to execute the load instruction to perform a load operation, the execution circuitry including an address generation unit (AGU) to generate an effective address to be used for the load operation; and early page prediction (EPP) circuitry to use one or more attributes associated with the load instruction to predict a physical page address for the load instruction simultaneously with the AGU generating the effective address and/or prior to generation of the effective address.

Abstract: Embodiments of apparatuses, methods, and systems for inter-cluster communication of live-in register values are described. In an embodiment, a processor includes a plurality of execution clusters. The processor also includes a cache memory in which to store a value to be produced by a first execution cluster of the plurality of execution clusters and consumed by a second execution cluster of the plurality of execution clusters. The cache memory is separate from a system memory hierarchy and a register set of the processor.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a processor comprises a first prefetcher to generate prefetch requests to prefetch data into a mid-level cache; a second prefetcher to generate prefetch requests to prefetch data into the mid-level cache; and a prefetcher selector to select a prefetcher configuration for the first prefetcher and the second prefetcher based on at least one memory access metric, wherein the prefetcher configuration is to specify whether the first prefetcher is to be enabled to issue, to the mid-level cache, prefetch requests for data of a particular page and whether the second prefetcher is to be enabled to issue, to the mid-level cache, prefetch requests for data of the particular page.