Cache Prefetching
Cache prefetching is a performance optimization technique in computer architecture and software engineering that predicts and loads data into a cache before it is actually requested by the processor. It aims to reduce memory access latency by anticipating future data needs based on access patterns, such as sequential or stride-based accesses. This technique is widely used in CPUs, GPUs, and storage systems to improve application speed and efficiency.
Developers should learn and use cache prefetching when building high-performance applications, especially in domains like gaming, scientific computing, and data-intensive systems where memory latency is a bottleneck. It is crucial for optimizing code in languages like C++ or assembly for hardware-level performance, and in database systems to preload query results. Use cases include real-time rendering, machine learning inference, and large-scale data processing where predictable access patterns can be leveraged.