US Patent 7437514 Cache system

A cache system is provided which includes a cache memory and a cache refill mechanism which allocates one or more of a set of cache partitions in the cache memory to an item in dependence on the address of the item in main memory. This is achieved in one of the described embodiments by including with the address of an item a set of partition selector bits which allow a partition mask to be generated to identify into which cache partition the item may be loaded.