System and Method for Coherence Prediction

Patent, 2008

A coherence prediction mechanism includes a synchronization manager and a plurality of access predictors. The synchronization manager maintains one or more sequence entries, each sequence entry indicating a sequence in which a corresponding data block is accessed by two or more processing elements of a multiprocessor system. An access predictor provides a prediction to the synchronization manager identifying a next data block to be accessed by a corresponding processing element. In response to an indication of an access to a particular data block from a first processing element, the synchronization manager accesses a sequence entry corresponding to the particular data block and sends an identification of a next processing element expected to access the data block to the first processing element. The first processing element may use the identification to perform one or more speculative coherence actions.