Abstract: An apparatus and method are described for detecting and correcting data fetch errors within a processor core. For example, one embodiment of an instruction processing apparatus for detecting and recovering from data fetch errors comprises: at least one processor core having a plurality of instruction processing stages including a data fetch stage and a retirement stage; and error processing logic in communication with the processing stages to perform the operations of: detecting an error associated with data in response to a data fetch operation performed by the data fetch stage; and responsively performing one or more operations to ensure that the error does not corrupt an architectural state of the processor core within the retirement stage.

Abstract: In accordance with embodiments disclosed herein, there are provided methods, systems, mechanisms, techniques, and apparatuses for cutting senior store latency using store prefetching. For example, in one embodiment, such means may include an integrated circuit or an out of order processor means that processes out of order instructions and enforces in-order requirements for a cache. Such an integrated circuit or out of order processor means further includes means for receiving a store instruction; means for performing address generation and translation for the store instruction to calculate a physical address of the memory to be accessed by the store instruction; and means for executing a pre-fetch for a cache line based on the store instruction and the calculated physical address before the store instruction retires.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for extending cache coherency to hold buffered data to support transactional execution is herein described. A transactional store operation referencing an address associated with a data item is performed in a buffered manner. Here, the coherency state associated with cache lines to hold the data item are transitioned to a buffered state. In response to local requests for the buffered data item, the data item is provided to ensure internal transactional sequential ordering. However, in response to external access requests, a miss response is provided to ensure the transactionally updated data item is not made globally visible until commit. Upon commit, the buffered lines are transitioned to a modified state to make the data item globally visible.

Abstract: In accordance with embodiments disclosed herein, there are provided methods, systems, mechanisms, techniques, and apparatuses for implementing a balanced P-LRU tree for a “multiple of 3” number of ways cache. For example, in one embodiment, such means may include an integrated circuit having a cache and a plurality of ways. In such an embodiment the plurality of ways include a quantity that is a multiple of three and not a power of two, and further in which the plurality of ways are organized into a plurality of pairs. In such an embodiment, means further include a single bit for each of the plurality of pairs, in which each single bit is to operate as an intermediate level decision node representing the associated pair of ways and a root level decision node having exactly two individual bits to point to one of the single bits to operate as the intermediate level decision nodes representing an associated pair of ways.

Abstract: An apparatus and method are described for efficiently transferring data from a producer core to a consumer core within a central processing unit (CPU). For example, one embodiment of a method comprises: A method for transferring a chunk of data from a producer core of a central processing unit (CPU) to consumer core of the CPU, comprising: writing data to a buffer within the producer core of the CPU until a designated amount of data has been written; upon detecting that the designated amount of data has been written, responsively generating an eviction cycle, the eviction cycle causing the data to be transferred from the fill buffer to a cache accessible by both the producer core and the consumer core; and upon the consumer core detecting that data is available in the cache, providing the data to the consumer core from the cache upon receipt of a read signal from the consumer core.

Abstract: An apparatus and method are described for efficiently transferring data from a core of a central processing unit (CPU) to a graphics processing unit (GPU). For example, one embodiment of a method comprises: writing data to a buffer within the core of the CPU until a designated amount of data has been written; upon detecting that the designated amount of data has been written, responsively generating an eviction cycle, the eviction cycle causing the data to be transferred from the buffer to a cache accessible by both the core and the GPU; setting an indication to indicate to the GPU that data is available in the cache; and upon the GPU detecting the indication, providing the data to the GPU from the cache upon receipt of a read signal from the GPU.

Abstract: A processor is described that includes a plurality of processing cores. The processor includes an interconnection network coupled to each of said processing cores. The processor includes snoop filter logic circuitry coupled to the interconnection network and associated with coherence plane logic circuitry of the processor. The snoop filter logic circuitry contains circuitry to hold information that identifies not only which of the processing cores are caching specific cache lines that are cached by the processing cores, but also, where in respective caches of the processing cores the cache lines are cached.

Abstract: A processor of an aspect includes operation mode check logic to determine whether to allow an attempted access to an operation mode and access type protected memory based on an operation mode that is to indicate whether the attempted access is by an on-die processor logic. Access type check logic is to determine whether to allow the attempted access to the operation mode and access type protected memory based on an access type of the attempted access to the operation mode and access type protected memory. Protection logic is coupled with the operation mode check logic and is coupled with the access type check logic. The protection logic is to deny the attempted access to the operation mode and access type protected memory if at least one of the operation mode check logic and the access type check logic determines not to allow the attempted access.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for managing a protection table by a processor. For example, a processor according to one embodiment of the invention comprises: protection table management logic to manage a protection table, the protection table having an entry for each protected page or each group of protected pages in memory; wherein the protection table management logic prevents direct access to the protection table by user application program code and operating system program code but permits direct access by the processor.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for implementing a multiple page size translation lookaside buffer (TLB). For example, a method according to one embodiment comprises: reading a first group of bits and a second group of bits from a linear address; determining whether the linear address is associated with a large page size or a small page size; identifying a first cache set using the first group of bits if the linear address is associated with a first page size and identifying a second cache set using the second group of bits if the linear address is associated with a second page size; and identifying a first cache way if the linear address is associated with a first page size and identifying a second cache way if the linear address is associated with a second page size.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for providing a memory model for hardware attributes to support transactional execution is herein described. Upon encountering a load of a hardware attribute, such as a test monitor operation to load a read monitor, write monitor, or buffering attribute, a fault is issued in response to a loss field indicating the hardware attribute has been lost. Furthermore, dependency actions, such as blocking and forwarding, are provided for the attribute access operations based on address dependency and access type dependency. As a result, different scenarios for attribute loss and testing thereof are allowed and restricted in a memory model.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a processor includes at least one execution unit, a near memory, and memory management logic. The memory management logic may be to manage the near memory and a far memory as a unified exclusive memory, where the far memory is external to the processor. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for monitoring memory accesses in hardware to support transactional execution is herein described. Attributes are monitor accesses to data items without regard for detection at physical storage structure granularity, but rather ensuring monitoring at least at data items granularity. As an example, attributes are added to state bits of a cache to enable new cache coherency states. Upon a monitored memory access to a data item, which may be selectively determined, coherency states associated with the data item are updated to a monitored state. As a result, invalidating requests to the data item are detected through combination of the request type and the monitored coherency state of the data item.

Abstract: Apparatuses and methods to perform gather instructions are presented. In one embodiment, an apparatus comprises a gather logic module which includes a gather logic unit to identify locality of data elements in response to a gather instruction. The apparatus includes memory comprising a plurality of memory rows including a memory row associated with the gather instruction. The apparatus further includes memory structure to store data element addresses accessed in response to the gather instruction.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for monitoring memory accesses in hardware to support transactional execution is herein described. Attributes are monitor accesses to data items without regard for detection at physical storage structure granularity, but rather ensuring monitoring at least at data items granularity. As an example, attributes are added to state bits of a cache to enable new cache coherency states. Upon a monitored memory access to a data item, which may be selectively determined, coherency states associated with the data item are updated to a monitored state. As a result, invalidating requests to the data item are detected through combination of the request type and the monitored coherency state of the data item.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for providing a memory model for hardware attributes to support transactional execution is herein described. Upon encountering a load of a hardware attribute, such as a test monitor operation to load a read monitor, write monitor, or buffering attribute, a fault is issued in response to a loss field indicating the hardware attribute has been lost. Furthermore, dependency actions, such as blocking and forwarding, are provided for the attribute access operations based on address dependency and access type dependency. As a result, different scenarios for attribute loss and testing thereof are allowed and restricted in a memory model.

Abstract: Embodiments of apparatuses and methods including virtual address memory range registers are disclosed. In one embodiment, a processor includes a memory interface, address translation hardware, and virtual memory address comparison hardware. The memory interface is to access a system memory using a physical memory address. The address translation hardware is to support translation of a virtual memory address to the physical memory address. The virtual memory address is used by software to access a virtual memory location in the virtual memory address space of the processor. The virtual memory address comparison hardware is to determine whether the virtual memory address is within a virtual memory address range.

Abstract: In accordance with embodiments disclosed herein, there are provided methods, systems, mechanisms, techniques, and apparatuses for implementing efficient communication between caches in hierarchical caching design. For example, in one embodiment, such means may include an integrated circuit having a data bus; a lower level cache communicably interfaced with the data bus; a higher level cache communicably interfaced with the data bus; one or more data buffers and one or more dataless buffers. The data buffers in such an embodiment being communicably interfaced with the data bus, and each of the one or more data buffers having a buffer memory to buffer a full cache line, one or more control bits to indicate state of the respective data buffer, and an address associated with the full cache line.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are disclosed for using an index array and finite state machine for scatter/gather operations. Embodiment of apparatus may comprise: decode logic to decode a scatter/gather instruction and generate a set of micro-operations, and an index array to hold a set of indices and a corresponding set of mask elements. A finite state machine facilitates the gather operation. Address generation logic generates an address from an index of the set of indices for at least each of the corresponding mask elements having a first value. An address is accessed to load a corresponding data element if the mask element had the first value. The data element is written at an in-register position in a destination vector register according to a respective in-register position the index. Values of corresponding mask elements are changed from the first value to a second value responsive to completion of their respective loads.

Abstract: In one embodiment, the present invention includes a method for identifying a termination sequence for an atomic memory operation executed by a first thread, associating a timer with the first thread, and preventing the first thread from execution of a memory cluster operation after completion of the atomic memory operation until a prevention window has passed. This method may be executed by regulation logic associated with a memory execution unit of a processor, in some embodiments. Other embodiments are described and claimed.