Nios II Classic Processor Reference Guide

ID 683620
Date 10/28/2016
Public
Document Table of Contents

2.6.2. Cache Memory

The Nios II architecture supports cache memories on both the instruction master port (instruction cache) and the data master port (data cache). Cache memory resides on-chip as an integral part of the Nios® II processor core. The cache memories can improve the average memory access time for Nios® II processor systems that use slow off-chip memory such as SDRAM for program and data storage.

The instruction and data caches are enabled perpetually at run-time, but methods are provided for software to bypass the data cache so that peripheral accesses do not return cached data. Cache management and cache coherency are handled by software. The Nios II instruction set provides instructions for cache management.