Apparatus and method for transferring a plurality of data structures between memory and a plurality of vector registers

A method of operating an apparatus to perform access operations to move data elements of vector operands between data structures in memory and a set of vector registers of the apparatus, each vector register arranged to store a vector operand comprising a plurality of data elements, and each data structure comprising multiple data elements stored at contiguous addresses in said memory, the method comprising:

• decoding a single access instruction identifying a plurality of vector registers from said set and a plurality of data structures that are located discontiguously with respect to each other in said memory, to generate control signals to control access circuitry to perform a sequence of said access operations to move said plurality of data structures between said memory and said plurality of vector registers;
• and
• moving, during performance of said sequence of access operations, the multiple data elements of each data structure such that the vector operand in each vector register of said plurality holds a corresponding data element from each of said plurality of data structures.

An apparatus comprising:

• a set of vector register means, each vector register means for storing a vector operand comprising a plurality of data elements;
• access means for performing access operations to move data elements of vector operands between data structures in memory and said set of vector register means, each data structure comprising multiple data elements stored at contiguous addresses in said memory;
• decode means for generating, in response to a single access instruction identifying a plurality of vector register means from said set and a plurality of data structures that are located discontiguously with respect to each other in said memory, control signals to control the access means to perform a sequence of said access operations to move said plurality of data structures between said memory and said plurality of vector register means such that the vector operand in each vector register means of said plurality holds a corresponding data element from each of said plurality of data structures.