Dynamic index selection in a hardware cache

A method for improving performance of cache memory in a computer, comprising:

• the computer running a software application that generates memory blocks to be stored in memory;
• a cache controller indexing data bits of the memory blocks to a data array in the cache memory using a currently selected index;
• the cache controller simultaneously indexing tag bits of the memory blocks to a primary tag array using the currently selected index and indexing tag bits of the memory blocks to a secondary tag array using a candidate index, and obtaining a hit rate at each of the primary and secondary tag arrays;
• the secondary tag array including a plurality of secondary tag arrays;
• and
• the cache controller including control logic for simultaneously evaluating a plurality of candidate indexes by indexing to each of the secondary tag arrays with a respective one of the plurality of candidate indexes over the same evaluation period while measuring the hit rate at each of the secondary tag arrays.

A method for improving performance of cache memory in a computer, comprising:

• the computer running a software application that generates memory blocks to be stored in memory;
• a cache controller indexing data bits of the memory blocks to a data array in the cache memory using a currently selected index;
• the cache controller indexing the tag bits of the memory blocks to only one tag array according to a first index for a first period of time to obtain a hit rate associated with the first index;
• and
• the cache controller indexing the tag bits of the memory blocks to the only one tag array according to a second index for a second period of time to obtain a hit rate associated with the second index;
• and
• the cache controller dynamically selecting the index that produces the greatest hit rate.