Abstract:
Apparatus and methods are disclosed for nullifying memory store instructions identified in a target field of a nullification instruction. In some examples of the disclosed technology, an apparatus can include memory and one or more block-based processor cores configured to fetch and execute a plurality of instruction blocks. One of the cores can include a control unit configured, based at least in part on receiving a nullification instruction, to obtain an instruction identification for a memory access instruction of a plurality of memory access instructions, based on a target field of the nullification instruction. The memory access instruction associated with the instruction identification is nullified. The memory access instruction is in a first instruction block of the plurality of instruction blocks. Based on the nullified memory access instruction, a subsequent memory access instruction from the first instruction block is executed.
Abstract:
The disclosed technology can be used for executing and committing instruction blocks of a block-based processor architecture out-of-order. In one example of the disclosed technology, an apparatus can include a plurality of block-based processor cores which can include a first group of cores and a second group of cores. The first group of cores can be configured to commit instruction blocks of the set of instruction blocks in a sequential program order. The second group of cores can be configured to commit instruction blocks of the set of instruction blocks out-of-order relative to the sequential program order.
Abstract:
Systems and methods relate to a mixed-width single instruction multiple data (SIMD) instruction which has at least a source vector operand comprising data elements of a first bit-width and a destination vector operand comprising data elements of a second bit-width, wherein the second bit-width is either half of or twice the first bit-width. Correspondingly, one of the source or destination vector operands is expressed as a pair of registers, a first register and a second register. The other vector operand is expressed as a single register. Data elements of the first register correspond to even-numbered data elements of the other vector operand expressed as a single register, and data elements of the second register correspond to data elements of the other vector operand expressed as a single register.
Abstract:
Parallelization of scalar operations by vector processors using data-indexed accumulators in vector register files, related circuits, methods, and computer-readable media are disclosed. In one aspect, a vector processor comprises a vector register file providing a plurality of write ports and a plurality of vector registers each providing a plurality of accumulators. The vector processor receives an input data vector. For each of the plurality of write ports, the vector processor executes vector operation(s) for accessing an input data value of the input data vector, and determining, based on the input data value, a register index for a vector register among the plurality of vector registers, and an accumulator index for an accumulator among the plurality of accumulators of the vector register. Based on the register index, a register value is retrieved from the register index, and a scalar operation is performed based on the register value and the accumulator index.
Abstract:
Physical register scrubbing in computer microprocessors. Most instructions in a computer program produce some output value that is destined for one or more architected registers. These architected destination registers are renamed, in the processor pipeline, to physical registers in order to improve performance by exposing more instruction level parallelism to the processor. In one aspect, a method comprises identifying, in a reorder buffer, a first instruction and a second instruction, without intervening potential pipeline flushers, that write to the same architected destination register, in order to free the physical register corresponding to the older of the two instructions.
Abstract:
A data processing apparatus and method are provided for performing segmented operations. The data processing apparatus comprises a vector register store for storing vector operands, and vector processing circuitry providing N lanes of parallel processing, and arranged to perform a segmented operation on up to N data elements provided by a specified vector operand, each data element being allocated to one of the N lanes. The up to N data elements forms a plurality of segments, and performance of the segmented operation comprises performing a separate operation on the data elements of each segment, the separate operation involving interaction between the lanes containing the data elements of the associated segment. Predicate generation circuitry is responsive to a compute descriptor instruction specifying an input vector operand comprising a plurality of segment descriptors, to generate per lane predicate information used by the vector processing circuitry when performing the segmented operation to maintain a boundary between each of the plurality of segments. As a result, interaction between lanes containing data elements from different segments is prevented. This allows very effective utilisation of the lanes of parallel processing within the vector processing circuitry to be achieved.
Abstract:
An embedded device includes a processor executing instructions from module(s) in a code memory. The instructions specify: reading data from two non-deterministic registers (NDRs) of different types, compressing the data using respective, different compression algorithms, and storing the compressed data in a nonvolatile medium. A method of enabling debug tracing in a computer program product (CPP) includes locating instructions in the CPP that read NDRs, determining types of the NDRs, and adding instruction(s) to the CPP to compress the values read using compression algorithms corresponding to the respective NDR types. An emulator in a computer-readable medium receives emulation-target instructions (ETIs) and compressed NDR data, and emulates an execution sequence of the ETIs by determining NDR-reading instructions, determining a type of the NDR read by each, decompressing a portion of the NDR data using a type-specific decompressor, and updating emulated-machine state based on the decompressed portion.
Abstract:
Methods, apparatus, instructions and logic provide SIMD vector sub-byte decompression functionality. Embodiments include shuffling a first and second byte into the least significant portion of a first vector element, and a third and fourth byte into the most significant portion. Processing continues shuffling a fifth and sixth byte into the least significant portion of a second vector element, and a seventh and eighth byte into the most significant portion. Then by shifting the first vector element by a first shift count and the second vector element by a second shift count, sub-byte elements are aligned to the least significant bits of their respective bytes. Processors then shuffle a byte from each of the shifted vector elements' least significant portions into byte positions of a destination vector element, and from each of the shifted vector elements' most significant portions into byte positions of another destination vector element.
Abstract:
Execution of instructions in a transactional environment is selectively controlled. A TRANSACTION BEGIN instruction initiates a transaction and includes controls that selectively indicate whether certain types of instructions are permitted to execute within the transaction. The controls include one or more of an allow access register modification control and an allow floating point operation control.
Abstract:
Embodiments of systems, apparatuses, and methods for performing in a computer processor a data element shuffle and an operation on the shuffled data elements in response to a single data element shuffle and an operation instruction that includes a destination vector register operand, a first and second source vector register operands, an immediate value, and an opcode are described.