How is cache miss handled by hardware?

When a cache miss occurs, the hardware typically initiates a series of steps to retrieve the requested data. First, it sends a request to the next level of memory, often the main RAM. If the data is found there, it is fetched and stored in the cache for future access, while the CPU may stall or switch to another task during this wait. Additionally, the cache may employ strategies like prefetching or replacement algorithms to optimize future data retrieval and minimize the impact of cache misses.