Importance

Loading Importance Indicators...

Abstract

A data processing apparatus and method are disclosed. The data processing apparatus comprises: an instruction fetching circuit operable to fetch a sequence of program instructions from a sequence of memory locations; an instruction decoder responsive to program instructions within the sequence of program instructions fetched by the instruction fetching circuit to control data processing operations specified by the program instructions; and an execution circuit operable under control of the instruction decoder to execute the data processing operations, wherein the instruction decoder is responsive to an execute block instruction within the sequence of program instructions to trigger fetching of a block of two or more program instructions by the instruction fetching circuit and execution of the block of two or more program instructions by the execution circuit, the block of two or more instructions containing a number of program instructions specified by a block length field within the executed block instruction and being stored at a memory location specified by a location field within the execute block instruction, the apparatus further comprises execute block instruction logic operable in response to the execute block instruction to store an indication of a memory location of an instruction following the execute block instruction and to determine which instruction in the block of two or more program instructions is being processed, the execute block instruction logic being further operable when it is determined that a last instruction in the block of two or more program instructions is being processed to provide to the instruction fetching circuit the indication of the memory location of the instruction following the execute block instruction so that the instruction following the execute block instruction is fetched for execution immediately following the last instruction in the block of two or more program instructions. Providing the indication of the memory location of the instruction following the execute block instruction to the instruction fetching circuit causes the fetch unit to fetch that instruction so that the correct sequence of instructions is fetched by the fetch unit which avoids the need to flush instructions.

Loading the Abstract Image...

First Claim