Grouped Prefetching: Maximizing Resource Utilization

Prefetching is a common method to prevent memory stalls, but it depends on the time sensitive return of prefetch requests relative to their consumption by an operation. Additionally, adding prefetches increases the contention on memory system buses which is counterproductive to ensuring the timely service of prefetches. By issuing prefetches as single grouped access through memory buses, bus contention can be reduced. However, this is improvement in bus contention over normal prefetching is only relevant for applications which place sufficient stress on the memory system to saturate the buses. This may be an increasingly common occurrence as processors continue to speed up faster then memory systems