instruction lookahead

instruction lookahead

[in′strək·shən ′lu̇k·ə‚hed] (computer science) A technique for speeding up the process of fetching and decoding instructions in a computer program, and of computing addresses of required operands and fetching them, in which the control unit fetches any unexecuted instructions on hand, to the extent this is feasible. Also known as fetch ahead.