Report Number: CSL-TR-96-687
Institution: Stanford University, Computer Systems Laboratory
Title: Latency Tolerance for Dynamic Processors
Author: Bennett, James E.
Author: Flynn, Michael J.
Date: January 1996
Abstract: While a number of dynamically scheduled processors have recently been brought to market, work on hardware techniques for tolerating memory latency has mostly targeted statically scheduled processors. This paper attempts to remedy this situation by examining the applicability of hardware latency tolerance techniques to dynamically scheduled processors. The results so far indicate that the inherent ability of the dynamically scheduled processor to tolerate memory latency reduces the need for additional hardware such as stream buffers or stride prediction tables. However, the technique of victim caching, while not usually considered as a latency tolerating technique, proves to be quite effective in aiding the dynamically scheduled processor in tolerating memory latency. For a fixed size investment in microprocessor chip area, the victim cache outperforms both stream buffers and stride prediction.
http://i.stanford.edu/pub/cstr/reports/csl/tr/96/687/CSL-TR-96-687.pdf