18361244. Coprocessor Prefetcher simplified abstract (Apple Inc.)

Coprocessor Prefetcher

Organization Name

Apple Inc.

Inventor(s)

Brandon H. Dwiel of Boston MA (US)

Andrew J. Beaumont-smith of Cambridge MA (US)

Eric J. Furbish of Austin TX (US)

John D. Pape of Cedar Park TX (US)

Stephen G. Meier of Los Altos CA (US)

Tyler J. Huberty of Sunnyvale CA (US)

Coprocessor Prefetcher - A simplified explanation of the abstract

This abstract first appeared for US patent application 18361244 titled 'Coprocessor Prefetcher

Simplified Explanation

The abstract describes a patent application for a coprocessor prefetcher that monitors code sequences fetched by a processor, captures memory addresses of operand data for coprocessor instructions, and issues prefetches for data associated with the memory addresses prior to execution by the coprocessor.

• The apparatus includes a processor and a coprocessor that execute processor and coprocessor instructions, respectively.
• Coprocessor instructions are provided to the coprocessor by the processor and appear together in code sequences fetched by the processor.
• A coprocessor prefetcher monitors code sequences fetched by the processor and captures memory addresses of operand data for coprocessor instructions.
• The coprocessor prefetcher issues prefetches for data associated with the memory addresses prior to execution by the coprocessor.

Potential Applications

This technology could be applied in high-performance computing systems, embedded systems, and other applications where coprocessors are used to offload specific tasks from the main processor.

Problems Solved

This technology helps improve the efficiency of coprocessor execution by prefetching data associated with coprocessor instructions, reducing latency and improving overall system performance.

Benefits

• Enhanced performance of coprocessor execution
• Reduced latency in accessing data for coprocessor instructions
• Improved overall system efficiency and speed

Potential Commercial Applications

• Data centers
• Supercomputing
• Artificial intelligence and machine learning applications

Possible Prior Art

One possible prior art could be the use of prefetching techniques in processors to improve memory access latency. However, the specific implementation of a coprocessor prefetcher as described in this patent application may be a novel approach.

What is the impact of this technology on system performance?

This technology can significantly improve system performance by reducing latency in accessing data for coprocessor instructions, leading to faster execution of tasks and overall enhanced efficiency.

How does this technology compare to existing coprocessor prefetching techniques?

This technology introduces a novel approach by specifically targeting coprocessor instructions and prefetching data associated with them, which may result in more efficient coprocessor execution compared to general prefetching techniques.

Original Abstract Submitted

A prefetcher for a coprocessor is disclosed. An apparatus includes a processor and a coprocessor that are configured to execute processor and coprocessor instructions, respectively. The processor and coprocessor instructions appear together in code sequences fetched by the processor, with the coprocessor instructions being provided to the coprocessor by the processor. The apparatus further includes a coprocessor prefetcher configured to monitor a code sequence fetched by the processor and, in response to identifying a presence of coprocessor instructions in the code sequence, capture the memory addresses, generated by the processor, of operand data for coprocessor instructions. The coprocessor is further configured to issue, for a cache memory accessible to the coprocessor, prefetches for data associated with the memory addresses prior to execution of the coprocessor instructions by the coprocessor.