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{{short description|Computer processing technique to boost memory performance}}
'''Cache prefetching''' is a technique used by computer processors to boost execution performance by fetching instructions or data from their original storage in slower memory to a faster local memory before it is actually needed (hence the term 'prefetch').<ref name=":3">{{Cite journal|last=Smith|first=Alan Jay|date=1982-09-01|title=Cache Memories|journal=ACM Comput. Surv.|volume=14|issue=3|pages=473–530|doi=10.1145/356887.356892|s2cid=6023466 |issn=0360-0300}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Li |first=Chunlin |last2=Song |first2=Mingyang |last3=Du |first3=Shaofeng |last4=Wang |first4=Xiaohai |last5=Zhang |first5=Min |last6=Luo |first6=Youlong |date=2020-09-01 |title=Adaptive priority-based cache replacement and prediction-based cache prefetching in edge computing environment |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1084804520301892 |journal=Journal of Network and Computer Applications |language=en |volume=165 |pages=102715 |doi=10.1016/j.jnca.2020.102715}}</ref> Most modern computer processors have fast and local [[Cache (computing)|cache memory]] in which prefetched data is held until it is required. The source for the prefetch operation is usually [[Computer data storage#Primary storage|main memory]]. Because of their design, accessing [[Cache (computing)|cache memories]] is typically much faster than accessing [[main memory]], so prefetching data and then accessing it from caches is usually many orders of magnitude faster than accessing it directly from [[Computer data storage#Primary storage|main memory]]. Prefetching can be done with non-blocking [[cache control instruction]]s.
== Data vs. instruction cache prefetching ==
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