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New Transmeta Patent
deggy writes "Transmeta have a new patent as of the 20th of this month. It seems to basicly concern caching. "Apparatus and a method for storing data already stored at an often utilized memory address in registers local to a host processor and maintain the data in the registers and memory consistent so that the processor may respond more rapidly when a memory address is to be accessed." "
In order for real high tech companies (I'm not talking about the AOL's or the amazon.com's of the world) to compete they have to differentiate. To do this means that their principle scientists generate new ideas that give them an edge over the competition. In order to protect their intellectual property its in their best interest to patent it otherwise other companies just feed on the R&D expenditure of the real technology leaders.
If people and corporations were honest this wouldn't be necessary. They're not, so it is. Certain software patents may make it seem like the patent system is useless but that isn't true. It needs some work, but without the protection that patents and patent litigation affords no company would stick their out to break new ground. It'd be much safer to just wait for somebody else (probably academic institutions) to come up with technology and pilfer it.
Skimming the patent, a few things indicate that it's not just L1 cache.
The part about triggering a software exception when an address that is not coherant between memory and cache is accessed is interesting. This fits very well with the idea that they are building a fast instruction set emulator system for a risc processor.
Over all, it looks like the CPU runs in a virtual memory environment of it's own. That VM is provided by the MMU and a just in time translator in software. The translator may get feedback from the cache incoherance exception to re-order the risc code for the next execution.IF That is the case, then it is indeed new and the methods are non-obvious.