INSTRUCTIONS AND LOGIC FOR LOAD-INDICES-AND-PREFETCH-GATHERS OPERATIONS

A processor includes an execution unit to execute instructions to load indices from an array of indices, optionally perform a gather, and prefetch (to a specified cache) elements for a future gather from arbitrary locations in memory. The execution unit includes logic to load, for each element to be gathered or prefetched, an index value to be used in computing the address in memory for the element. The index value may be retrieved from an array of indices that is identified for the instruction. The execution unit includes logic to compute the address based on the sum of a base address that is specified for the instruction and the index value that was retrieved for the data element, with or without scaling. The execution unit includes logic to store gathered data elements in contiguous locations in a destination vector register that is specified for the instruction.