Method and apparatus for speculative arbitration

An arbitration apparatus comprising:

• first means, coupled to receive requests for use of resources by users and coupled to grant access to the resources, for allocating one or more of the resources to users for use during an access interval, according to the requests;
• and
• second means for speculatively allocating at least a second of the resources to at least one of the users for use during the access interval.

An apparatus comprising:

• a plurality of users;
• an arbiter coupled to receive requests for use of resources by respective users, the arbiter responsive to speculatively allocate a resource to one of the users for use during an access interval, absent a request from the one user for the resource.

A computer program product encoded on computer readable media providing an arbiter function that allocates resources among users of the resources, comprising:

• a first program portion operable to allocate resources in response to requests for use of the resources;
• and
• a second program portion operable to allocate at least one resource speculatively to a user in the absence of a request from the user for the resource.

A method of allocating resources in a system comprising:

• arbitrating during a first arbitration cycle, requests received prior to a beginning of the first arbitration cycle, the requests for utilization of one or more of the resources during a particular usage interval;
• allocating at least a second of the resources unallocated during the first arbitration cycle, prior to a start of the particular usage interval.

An apparatus comprising:

• an arbiter coupled to supply control information for use of resources;
• the arbiter coupled to receive requests from users for use of the resources during a particular access interval, the arbiter responsive to a first group of requests received prior to the start of a first arbitration cycle to determine allocation of the resources during the first arbitration cycle according to the first group of requests and to receive at least a second plurality of requests after the start of the first arbitration cycle, and to determine additional allocation of the resources according to the second group of requests during a second arbitration cycle, the second arbitration cycle being shorter than the first arbitration cycle, the first and second arbitration cycles allocating resources for use during the particular access interval.

An arbiter coupled to receive requests for use of resources by users, the arbiter responsive to speculatively allocate at least one resource to one of the users for use during an access interval, absent a request by the one user for the resource and to allocate other of the resources for use during the access interval according to requests for use of the resources.