Data transaction typing for improved caching and prefetching characteristics

A method for categorizing a memory operation comprising:

• decoding an instruction to determine a first data transaction type corresponding to said instruction, wherein said first data transaction type is one of a plurality of data transaction types;
• and
• accessing data corresponding to said instruction using an access mode responsive to said data transaction type, wherein said access mode comprises:
• (i) a cacheability mode indicating whether or not said data is cacheable, wherein said cacheability mode indicates non-cacheable for at least one of said plurality of data transaction types;
• and
• (ii) a prefetch mode indicating a prefetch strategy corresponding to said memory operation.

A method for categorizing a memory operation comprising:

• decoding an instruction to determine a data transaction type corresponding to said instruction, wherein said data transaction type comprises a pointer data transaction type;
• and
• accessing data corresponding to said instruction using an access mode responsive to said data transaction type, wherein said access mode comprises:
• (i) a cacheability mode indicating whether or not said data is cacheable;
• and
• (ii) a prefetch mode indicating a prefetch strategy corresponding to said memory operation, and wherein said cacheability mode indicates non-cacheable, and wherein said prefetch mode indicates prefetching using said data as a prefetch address.

A computer system comprising:

• a microprocessor including:
• a decode unit coupled to receive an instruction and configured to determine a first data transaction type corresponding to said instruction, wherein said first data transaction type is one of a plurality of data transaction types;
• a load/store unit coupled to receive said first data transaction type if said instruction includes a memory operation, wherein said load/store unit is configured to determine an access mode for said memory operation in response to said first data transaction type, wherein said access mode comprises:
• (i) a cacheability mode indicating whether or not data corresponding to said memory operation is cacheable, wherein said cacheability indication indicates non-cacheable for at least one of said plurality of data transaction types;
• and
• (ii) a prefetch mode indicating a prefetch strategy corresponding to said memory operation;
• and
• an input/output (I/O) device configured to communicate between said computer system and another computer system to which said I/O device is capable of being coupled.