In order to allow prefetching of pointer-type data structure, an instruction word of load instruction has pointer hints indicating that the data being loaded by the instruction comprises a pointer specifying the address of the next data. When a CPU executes such an instruction, and the data requested by that instruction is loaded from a main memory, a prefetch circuit in a memory interface circuit uses this pointer to read a block containing the data specified by this pointer from the main memory, then stores temporarily in a prefetch buffer provided therein. When CPU executes a load instruction requesting reading of the data specified by this pointer, the data in this stored block is supplied to CPU through a processor interface circuit and a cache control circuit.