BANDWIDTH REDUCTION TECHNIQUE USING CACHE-TO-CACHE TRANSFER PREDICTION IN A SNOOPING-BASED CACHE-COHERENT CLUSTER OF MULTIPROCESSING NODES

A multiprocessing node in a snooping-based cache-coherent cluster of processing nodes maintains a cache-to-cache transfer prediction directory of addresses of data last transferred by cache-to-cache transfers. In response to a local cache miss, the multiprocessing node may use the cache-to-cache transfer prediction directory to predict a cache-to-cache transfer and issue a restricted broadcast for requested data that allows only cache memories in the cluster to return copies of the requested data to the requesting multiprocessing node, thereby reducing the consumption of bandwidth that would otherwise be consumed by having a home memory return a copy of the requested data in response to an unrestricted broadcast for requested data that allows cache memories and home memories in a cluster to return copies of the requested data to the requesting multiprocessing node.