SMART DMA ENGINE FOR A NETWORK-ON-A-CHIP PROCESSOR

A multiprocessor architecture utilizing direct memory access (DMA) processors that execute programmed code to feed data to one or more processor cores in advance of those cores requesting data. Stalls of the processor cores are minimized by continually feeding new data directly into the data registers within the cores. When different data is needed, the processor cores can redirect a DMA processor to execute a different feeder program, or to jump to a different point in the feeder program it is already executing. The DMA processors can also feed executable instructions into the instruction pipelines of the processor cores, allowing the feeder program to orchestrate overall processor operations.