Abstract:
A method and apparatus for making predictions which give a predicted value and also a confidence value is presented. In one embodiment, a global confidence history is maintained. The global confidence history may be hashed with an instruction pointer to form an index into a pattern history table or tables that include local histories of confidence values and predicted values. The outputs of the pattern history tables may be used to form confidence values and predicted values.
Abstract:
The present invention relates to the design of highly reliable high performance microprocessors, and more specifically to designs that use cache memory protection schemes such as, for example, a 1-hot plus valid bit scheme and a 2-hot vector cache scheme. These protection schemes protect the 1-hot vectors used in the tag array in the cache and are designed to provide hardware savings, operate at higher speeds and be simple to implement. In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, a tag array memory including an input conversion circuit to receive a 1-hot vector and to convert the 1-hot vector to a 2-hot vector. The tag array memory also including a memory array coupled to the input conversion circuit, the memory array to store the 2-hot vector; and an output conversion circuit coupled to the memory array, the output conversion circuit to receive the 2-hot vector and to convert the 2-hot vector back to the 1-hot vector.
Abstract:
A method and apparatus is disclosed that uses an arithmetic circuit for adding numbers represented in redundant form to subtract numbers received in redundant form, including numbers received from a bypass circuit. The method includes generating a complemented redundant form of at least one number supplied to the arithmetic circuit in redundant form. It also includes providing an adjustment input to the arithmetic circuit to augment a result produced through the arithmetic circuit to generate a valid outcome in redundant form of a subtraction operation. A carry-save adder structure is used in one preferred embodiment of the current invention to perform a subtraction operation A−B, where B is a number represented by one of its valid carry-sum redundant representations. In order to perform the subtraction operation, each of the carry bits and each of the sum bits in a redundant representation of B are complemented and supplied to the carry-save adder. Then a result is corrected by adding an adjustment of three. This adjustment value is incorporated into the result through the carry-save adder circuit. Thus the circuit produces a valid redundant representation for the subtraction operation A−B.
Abstract:
A circuit for determining the length of an instruction including apparatus for providing a sequence of instruction bytes greater than a single instruction length, rotator apparatus for selecting a sequential number of instruction bytes for decoding commencing at a byte which begins a first instruction, control apparatus for operating the rotator, and apparatus responsive to a decoded length value derived from the first instruction for causing the control apparatus to cause the rotator to rotate to the beginning of a next instruction.
Abstract:
A circuit for generating a pair of clock pulses of opposite phases each having the same frequency as the frequency of an input signal generated by a crystal oscillator including apparatus for generating first and second pair of signals at half the frequency of the input signal generated by a crystal oscillator, the signals of each pair being of opposite phase to one another; apparatus for comparing a first signal of the first pair signals with the one of the signals of the second pair of signals which is normally out of phase therewith to produce an output signal only when the two signals are in phase; apparatus for comparing the second signal of the first pair of signals with the one of the signals of the second pair of signals which is normally out of phase therewith to produce an output signal only when the two signals are in phase; apparatus utilizing one of the output signals to lengthen the duty cycle of one of the first pair of signals of opposite phases and the other of the output signals to shorten the duty cycle of the other of the first pair of signals of opposite phases; apparatus for producing a pair of clock pulses of opposite phases each having the same frequency as the frequency of an input signal generated by a crystal oscillator; and apparatus responsive to the apparatus utilizing one of the output signals to lengthen the duty cycle of one of the first pair signals of opposite phases and the other of the output signals to shorten the duty cycle of the other of the first pair of signals of opposite phases for equalizing the duty cycle of the pair of closk pulses of opposite phases each having the same frequency as the frequency of an input signal generated by a crystal oscillator.
Abstract:
A method, system, and apparatus may initialize a fixed plurality of page table entries for a fixed plurality of pages in memory, each page having a first size, wherein a linear address for each page table entry corresponds to a physical address and the fixed plurality of pages are aligned. A bit in each of the page table entries for the aligned pages may be set to indicate whether or not the fixed plurality of pages is to be treated as one combined page having a second page size larger than the first page size. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
Abstract:
Two latches store the state of a data signal at a transition of a clock signal. Comparison logic compares the outputs of the two latches and produces a signal to indicate whether the outputs are equal or unequal. Systems using the latches and comparison logic are described and claimed.
Abstract:
A method and apparatus for changing the configuration of a multi-core processor is disclosed. In one embodiment, a throttle module (or throttle logic) may determine the amount of parallelism present in the currently-executing program, and change the execution of the threads of that program on the various cores. If the amount of parallelism is high, then the processor may be configured to run a larger amount of threads on cores configured to consume less power. If the amount of parallelism is low, then the processor may be configured to run a smaller amount of threads on cores configured for greater scalar performance.
Abstract:
Methods and apparatus to reduce aging effect on memory are described. In one embodiment, a modified version of data is stored in a portion of a storage unit during a first time period.
Abstract:
A system for delivering power to a device in a specified voltage range is disclosed. The system includes a power delivery network, characterized by a response function, to deliver power to the device. A current computation unit stores values representing a sequence of current amplitudes drawn by the device on successive clock cycles, and provides them to a current to voltage computation unit. The current to voltage computation unit filters the current amplitudes according to coefficients derived from the response function to provide an estimate of the voltage seen by the device. Operation of the device is adjusted if the estimated voltage falls outside the specified range.