diff --git a/tests/regression/sgemm_tcore/kernel.cpp b/tests/regression/sgemm_tcore/kernel.cpp
index 3118a368..d748a909 100644
--- a/tests/regression/sgemm_tcore/kernel.cpp
+++ b/tests/regression/sgemm_tcore/kernel.cpp
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ inline void global_dmem_load(const uint32_t dim_n, const uint32_t dim_k,
   // neighboring threads to ensure GMEM coalescing.
   //
   // TODO: Sharedmem swizzling is important here
-  if constexpr (!TRANSPOSE_AS) {
+  if constexpr (!TRANSPOSE_AT_PRODUCE) {
     // FIXME: !TRANSPOSE_AS code is old
 
     const uint32_t global_a_row = BM * threadblock_id_y + local_a_row;
diff --git a/tests/regression/sgemm_tcore/kernel.warpspecial.cpp b/tests/regression/sgemm_tcore/kernel.warpspecial.cpp
index 94c98569..d8764bb1 100644
--- a/tests/regression/sgemm_tcore/kernel.warpspecial.cpp
+++ b/tests/regression/sgemm_tcore/kernel.warpspecial.cpp
@@ -33,8 +33,9 @@ inline void global_dmem_load(const uint32_t dim_n, const uint32_t dim_k,
   // neighboring threads to ensure GMEM coalescing.
   //
   // TODO: Sharedmem swizzling is important here
-  if constexpr (!TRANSPOSE_AS) {
-    // FIXME: !TRANSPOSE_AS code is old
+  if constexpr (!TRANSPOSE_AT_PRODUCE) {
+    // if !TRANSPOSE_AT_PRODUCE, we only support coalesced GMEM loads
+    static_assert(TRANSPOSE_AT_PRODUCE || GMEM_COALESCED_A);
 
     const uint32_t global_a_row = BM * threadblock_id_y + local_a_row;
     // number of rows a full TB can read at a time
@@ -42,26 +43,60 @@ inline void global_dmem_load(const uint32_t dim_n, const uint32_t dim_k,
     const float *global_a = A + dim_k * global_a_row + (k + local_a_col);
     volatile float *local_a_tmp = local_a + BK * local_a_row + local_a_col;
 
+    static_assert(
+        row_stride_a * 8 <= BM,
+        "manual loop unrolling condition not met; consider increasing BM");
+    static_assert(
+        (BM % (row_stride_a * 8)) == 0,
+        "manual loop unrolling condition not met; BM should be power-of-two");
+
 #pragma GCC unroll 1
     for (uint32_t local_row_offset = 0; local_row_offset < BM;
-         local_row_offset += row_stride_a) {
+         local_row_offset += row_stride_a * 8) {
       // const uint32_t global_a_offset =
       //     dim_k * (global_a_row + local_row_offset) + (k + local_a_col);
       // local_a[BK * (local_a_row + local_row_offset) + local_a_col] =
       //     A[global_a_offset];
-      *local_a_tmp = *global_a;
+      //
+      // *local_a_tmp = *global_a;
+      // global_a += dim_k * row_stride_a;
+      // local_a_tmp += BK * row_stride_a;
 
+      asm volatile ("flw ft0, (%0)"   :: "r"(global_a));
       global_a += dim_k * row_stride_a;
-      local_a_tmp += BK * row_stride_a;
+      asm volatile ("flw ft1, (%0)"   :: "r"(global_a));
+      global_a += dim_k * row_stride_a;
+      asm volatile ("flw ft2, (%0)"   :: "r"(global_a));
+      global_a += dim_k * row_stride_a;
+      asm volatile ("flw ft3, (%0)"   :: "r"(global_a));
+      global_a += dim_k * row_stride_a;
+      asm volatile ("flw ft4, (%0)"   :: "r"(global_a));
+      global_a += dim_k * row_stride_a;
+      asm volatile ("flw ft5, (%0)"   :: "r"(global_a));
+      global_a += dim_k * row_stride_a;
+      asm volatile ("flw ft6, (%0)"   :: "r"(global_a));
+      global_a += dim_k * row_stride_a;
+      asm volatile ("flw ft7, (%0)"   :: "r"(global_a));
+      global_a += dim_k * row_stride_a;
+
+      // stride along columns
+      // bank conflicts
+      asm volatile ("fsw ft0, %0(%1)" :: "i"(BK * row_stride_a * 0 * sizeof(float)), "r"(local_a_tmp));
+      asm volatile ("fsw ft1, %0(%1)" :: "i"(BK * row_stride_a * 1 * sizeof(float)), "r"(local_a_tmp));
+      asm volatile ("fsw ft2, %0(%1)" :: "i"(BK * row_stride_a * 2 * sizeof(float)), "r"(local_a_tmp));
+      asm volatile ("fsw ft3, %0(%1)" :: "i"(BK * row_stride_a * 3 * sizeof(float)), "r"(local_a_tmp));
+      asm volatile ("fsw ft4, %0(%1)" :: "i"(BK * row_stride_a * 4 * sizeof(float)), "r"(local_a_tmp));
+      asm volatile ("fsw ft5, %0(%1)" :: "i"(BK * row_stride_a * 5 * sizeof(float)), "r"(local_a_tmp));
+      asm volatile ("fsw ft6, %0(%1)" :: "i"(BK * row_stride_a * 6 * sizeof(float)), "r"(local_a_tmp));
+      asm volatile ("fsw ft7, %0(%1)" :: "i"(BK * row_stride_a * 7 * sizeof(float)), "r"(local_a_tmp));
+      local_a_tmp += BK * row_stride_a * 8;
     }
   } else {
     if constexpr (!GMEM_COALESCED_A) {
       constexpr uint32_t row_stride_as = threads_in_warpgroup / BM;
       const uint32_t global_a_row = BM * threadblock_id_y + local_as_col;
+      // NOTE that GMEM reads are transposed
       const float *global_a = A + dim_k * global_a_row + (k + local_as_row);
-      // FIXME experimenting with global coalescing
-      // const uint32_t global_a_row = BM * threadblock_id_y + local_as_row;
-      // const float *global_a = A + dim_k * global_a_row + (k + local_as_col);
       volatile float *local_a_tmp = local_a + BM * local_as_row + local_as_col;
 
       static_assert(
@@ -152,6 +187,7 @@ inline void global_dmem_load(const uint32_t dim_n, const uint32_t dim_k,
         global_a += dim_k * row_stride_a;
 
         // stride along columns
+        // bank conflicts
         asm volatile ("fsw ft0, %0(%1)" :: "i"(row_stride_a * 0 * sizeof(float)), "r"(local_a_tmp));
         asm volatile ("fsw ft1, %0(%1)" :: "i"(row_stride_a * 1 * sizeof(float)), "r"(local_a_tmp));
         asm volatile ("fsw ft2, %0(%1)" :: "i"(row_stride_a * 2 * sizeof(float)), "r"(local_a_tmp));
diff --git a/tests/regression/sgemm_tcore/util.hpp b/tests/regression/sgemm_tcore/util.hpp
index 34c9b168..a601d22c 100644
--- a/tests/regression/sgemm_tcore/util.hpp
+++ b/tests/regression/sgemm_tcore/util.hpp
@@ -35,7 +35,15 @@
 // number of loop around the inner 0..TCK..BK loop to simulate perfect-DRAM
 // scenario
 #define BK_LOOP 1
-#define TRANSPOSE_AS 1
+// whether to transpose smem A tile at GMEM->SMEM (produce), or SMEM->RF
+// (consume).  This is because the tensor core expects the A tile to be stored
+// in column-major order in SMEM.
+//
+// For correctness, only one of either should be 1.  To model the case where
+// the entire A matrix is already stored transposed in GMEM ("TN" kernel), set
+// both to 0.
+#define TRANSPOSE_AT_PRODUCE 0
+#define TRANSPOSE_AT_CONSUME 0
 // GMEM_COALESCED sets bank conflict-free accesses for
 // 1: GMEM loads of A matrix
 // 0: SMEM stores of A matrix
@@ -171,7 +179,7 @@ inline void vx_wmma_load_a(volatile float *smem_A, const int local_k,
   constexpr int smem_AS_rows = BK;
   constexpr int smem_AS_cols = BM;
 
-  if constexpr (!TRANSPOSE_AS) {
+  if constexpr (TRANSPOSE_AT_CONSUME) {
     // int A_offset = (WM * warp_row + TCM * wm_iter + row) * smem_A_cols;
 
     // @perf: bank conflicts
@@ -195,7 +203,7 @@ inline void vx_wmma_load_a(volatile float *smem_A, const int local_k,
     // asm volatile("flw  f6, %0" ::"m"(smem_A[A_offset + (local_k + 6)]));
     // asm volatile("flw  f7, %0" ::"m"(smem_A[A_offset + (local_k + 7)]));
   } else {
-    // transposed A
+    // read smem A tile as-is; bank-conflict-free AS load
     // f8-f15 stores a single row of A
     volatile float *smem_addr;
     smem_addr = &smem_A[((local_k + 0) * smem_AS_cols) + (WM * warp_row + TCM * wm_iter) + row];