Abstract: A method of identifying instructions including accessing a plurality of instructions that comprise multiple branch instructions. For each branch instruction of the multiple branch instructions, a respective first mask is generated representing instructions that are executed if a branch is taken. A respective second mask is generated representing instructions that are executed if the branch is not taken. A prediction output is received that comprises a respective branch prediction for each branch instruction. For each branch instruction, the prediction output is used to select a respective resultant mask from among the respective first and second masks. For each branch instruction, a resultant mask of a subsequent branch is invalidated if a previous branch is predicted to branch over said subsequent branch. A logical operation is performed on all resultant masks to produce a final mask. The final mask is used to select a subset of instructions for execution.

Abstract: A method for performing dynamic port remapping during instruction scheduling in an out of order microprocessor is disclosed. The method comprises selecting and dispatching a plurality of instructions from a plurality of select ports in a scheduler module in first clock cycle. Next, it comprises determining if a first physical register file unit has capacity to support instructions dispatched in the first clock cycle. Further, it comprises supplying a response back to logic circuitry between the plurality of select ports and a plurality of execution ports, wherein the logic circuitry is operable to re-map select ports in the scheduler module to execution ports based on the response. Finally, responsive to a determination that the first physical register file unit is full, the method comprises re-mapping at least one select port connecting with an execution unit in the first physical register file unit to a second physical register file unit.

Abstract: A method for populating a register view data structure by using register template snapshots. The method includes receiving an incoming instruction sequence using a global front end; grouping the instructions to form instruction blocks; using a plurality of register templates to track instruction destinations and instruction sources by populating the register template with block numbers corresponding to the instruction blocks, wherein the block numbers corresponding to the instruction blocks indicate interdependencies among the blocks of instructions; populating a register view data structure, wherein the register view data structure stores destinations corresponding to the instruction blocks as recorded by the plurality of register templates; and using the register view data structure to track a machine state in accordance with the execution of the plurality of instruction blocks.

Abstract: A method for populating a source view data structure by using register template snapshots. The method includes receiving an incoming instruction sequence using a global front end; grouping the instructions to form instruction blocks; using a plurality of register templates to track instruction destinations and instruction sources by populating the register template with block numbers corresponding to the instruction blocks, wherein the block numbers corresponding to the instruction blocks indicate interdependencies among the blocks of instructions; populating a source view data structure, wherein the source view data structure stores sources corresponding to the instruction blocks as recorded by the plurality of register templates; and determining which of the plurality of instruction blocks are ready for dispatch by using the populated source view data structure.

Abstract: A method for translating instructions for a processor. The method includes accessing a plurality of guest instructions that comprise multiple guest branch instructions comprising at least one guest far branch, and building an instruction sequence from the plurality of guest instructions by using branch prediction on the at least one guest far branch. The method further includes assembling a guest instruction block from the instruction sequence. The guest instruction block is translated to a corresponding native conversion block, wherein an at least one native far branch that corresponds to the at least one guest far branch and wherein the at least one native far branch includes an opposite guest address for an opposing branch path of the at least one guest far branch. Upon encountering a missprediction, a correct instruction sequence is obtained by accessing the opposite guest address.

Abstract: Systems and methods for load canceling in a processor that is connected to an external interconnect fabric are disclosed. As a part of a method for load canceling in a processor that is connected to an external bus, and responsive to a flush request and a corresponding cancellation of pending speculative loads from a load queue, a type of one or more of the pending speculative loads that are positioned in the instruction pipeline external to the processor, is converted from load to prefetch. Data corresponding to one or more of the pending speculative loads that are positioned in the instruction pipeline external to the processor is accessed and returned to cache as prefetch data. The prefetch data is retired in a cache location of the processor.

Abstract: A unified architecture for dynamic generation, execution, synchronization and parallelization of complex instruction formats includes a virtual register file, register cache and register file hierarchy. A self-generating and synchronizing dynamic and static threading architecture provides efficient context switching.

Abstract: Systems and methods for accessing a unified translation lookaside buffer (TLB) are disclosed. A method includes receiving an indicator of a level one translation lookaside buffer (L1TLB) miss corresponding to a request for a virtual address to physical address translation, searching a cache that includes virtual addresses and page sizes that correspond to translation table entries (TTEs) that have been evicted from the L1TLB, where a page size is identified, and searching a second level TLB and identifying a physical address that is contained in the second level TLB. Access is provided to the identified physical address.

Abstract: A global interconnect system. The global interconnect system includes a plurality of resources having data for supporting the execution of multiple code sequences and a plurality of engines for implementing the execution of the multiple code sequences. A plurality of resource consumers are within each of the plurality of engines. A global interconnect structure is coupled to the plurality of resource consumers and coupled to the plurality of resources to enable data access and execution of the multiple code sequences, wherein the resource consumers access the resources through a per cycle utilization of the global interconnect structure.

Abstract: A method for sorting elements in hardware structures is disclosed. The method comprises selecting a plurality of elements to order from an unordered input queue (UIQ) within a predetermined range in response to finding a match between at least one most significant bit of the predetermined range and corresponding bits of a respective identifier associated with each of the plurality of elements. The method further comprises presenting each of the plurality of elements to a respective multiplexer. Further the method comprises generating a select signal for an enabled multiplexer in response to finding a match between at least one least significant bit of a respective identifier associated with each of the plurality of elements and a port number of the ordered queue. Finally, the method comprises forwarding a packet associated with a selected element identifier to a matching port number of the ordered queue from the enabled multiplexer.

Abstract: A method for supporting a plurality of load accesses is disclosed. A plurality of requests to access a data cache is accessed, and in response, a tag memory is accessed that maintains a plurality of copies of tags for each entry in the data cache. Tags are identified that correspond to individual requests. The data cache is accessed based on the tags that correspond to the individual requests. A plurality of requests to access the same block of the plurality of blocks causes an access arbitration that is executed in the same clock cycle as is the access of the tag memory.

Abstract: Systems and methods for load canceling in a processor that is connected to an external interconnect fabric are disclosed. As a part of a method for load canceling in a processor that is connected to an external bus, and responsive to a flush request and a corresponding cancellation of pending speculative loads from a load queue, a type of one or more of the pending speculative loads that are positioned in the instruction pipeline external to the processor, is converted from load to prefetch. Data corresponding to one or more of the pending speculative loads that are positioned in the instruction pipeline external to the processor is accessed and returned to cache as prefetch data. The prefetch data is retired in a cache location of the processor.

Abstract: Methods for read after write forwarding using a virtual address are disclosed. A method includes determining when a virtual address has been remapped from corresponding to a first physical address to a second physical address and determining if all stores occupying a store queue before the remapping have been retired from the store queue. Loads that are younger than the stores that occupied the store queue before the remapping are prevented from being dispatched and executed until the stores that occupied the store queue before the remapping have left the store queue and become globally visible.

Abstract: A method for weak stream software data and instruction prefetching using a hardware data prefetcher is disclosed. A method includes, determining if software includes software prefetch instructions, using a hardware data prefetcher, and, accessing the software prefetch instructions if the software includes software prefetch instructions. Using the hardware data prefetcher, weak stream software data and instruction prefetching operations are executed based on the software prefetch instructions, free of training operations.

Abstract: A system for executing instructions using a plurality of memory fragments for a processor. The system includes a global front end scheduler for receiving an incoming instruction sequence, wherein the global front end scheduler partitions the incoming instruction sequence into a plurality of code blocks of instructions and generates a plurality of inheritance vectors describing interdependencies between instructions of the code blocks. The system further includes a plurality of virtual cores of the processor coupled to receive code blocks allocated by the global front end scheduler, wherein each virtual core comprises a respective subset of resources of a plurality of partitionable engines, wherein the code blocks are executed by using the partitionable engines in accordance with a virtual core mode and in accordance with the respective inheritance vectors. A plurality memory fragments are coupled to the partitionable engines for providing data storage.

Abstract: Systems and methods for supporting a plurality of load and store accesses of a cache are disclosed. Responsive to a request of a plurality of requests to access a block of a plurality of blocks of a load cache, the block of the load cache and a logically and physically paired block of a store coalescing cache are accessed in parallel. The data that is accessed from the block of the load cache is overwritten by the data that is accessed from the block of the store coalescing cache by merging on a per byte basis. Access is provided to the merged data.

Abstract: A method for translating instructions for a processor. The method includes accessing a guest instruction and performing a first level translation of the guest instruction using a first level conversion table. The method further includes outputting a resulting native instruction when the first level translation proceeds to completion. A second level translation of the guest instruction is performed using a second level conversion table when the first level translation does not proceed to completion, wherein the second level translation further processes the guest instruction based upon a partial translation from the first level conversion table. The resulting native instruction is output when the second level translation proceeds to completion.

Abstract: Cache replacement policy. In accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention, an apparatus comprises a queue memory structure configured to queue cache requests that miss a second cache after missing a first cache. The apparatus comprises additional memory associated with the queue memory structure is configured to record an evict way of the cache requests for the cache. The apparatus may be further configured to lock the evict way recorded in the additional memory, for example, to prevent reuse of the evict way. The apparatus may be further configured to unlock the evict way responsive to a fill from the second cache to the cache. The additional memory may be a component of a higher level cache.

Abstract: A matrix of execution blocks form a set of rows and columns. The rows support parallel execution of instructions and the columns support execution of dependent instructions. The matrix of execution blocks process a single block of instructions specifying parallel and dependent instructions.

Abstract: Fast unaligned memory access. In accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention, a computing device includes a load queue memory structure configured to queue load operations and a store queue memory structure configured to queue store operations. The computing device includes also includes at least one bit configured to indicate the presence of an unaligned address component for an entry of said load queue memory structure, and at least one bit configured to indicate the presence of an unaligned address component for an entry of said store queue memory structure. The load queue memory may also include memory configured to indicate data forwarding of an unaligned address component from said store queue memory structure to said load queue memory structure.