PRE-FETCH APPARATUS

Apparatus and computing systems associated with data pre-fetching are described. One embodiment includes a processor that includes a first unit to store data corresponding to a load instruction and an instruction pointer (IP) value associated with the load instruction. The processor also includes a second unit to produce a predicted demand address for a next load instruction, the predicted demand address being based on a constant stride value. The processor also includes a third unit to generate an instruction pointer pre-fetch (IPP) request for the predicted demand address. The processor may also include units to arbitrate between generated IP pre-fetch requests and alternative pre-fetch requests.