Patents Examined by Daniel Pan
  • Patent number: 9547494
    Abstract: Embodiments relate to a system for absolute address branching in a reduced instruction set computing (RISC) architecture. One aspect is a system that includes memory and a processing circuit communicatively coupled to the memory. The system is configured to perform a method that includes fetching a branch instruction from an instruction stream having a fixed instruction width. A branch target address value is acquired from the instruction stream. The branch target address value represents a target address of the branch instruction. The branch target address value is formatted as an absolute address and sized as a multiple of the fixed instruction width. The branch target address value is loaded into a program counter based on the branch instruction. Execution of the instruction stream is redirected to a next instruction based on the branch target address value in the program counter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2017
    Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventor: Michael K. Gschwind
  • Patent number: 9535746
    Abstract: A method for scheduling the execution of a computer instruction, receive an entitlement processor resource percentage for a logical partition on a computer system. The logical partition is associated with a hardware thread of a processor of the computer system. The entitlement processor resource percentage for the logical partition is stored in a register of the hardware thread associated with the logical partition. An instruction is received from the logical partition of the computer system and the processor dispatches the instruction based on the entitlement processor resource percentage stored in the register of the hardware thread associated with the logical partition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2017
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Nitin Gupta, Mehulkumar J. Patel, Deepak C. Shetty
  • Patent number: 9535696
    Abstract: Techniques relate to handling outstanding cache miss prefetches. A processor pipeline recognizes that a prefetch canceling instruction is being executed. In response to recognizing that the prefetch canceling instruction is being executed, all outstanding prefetches are evaluated according to a criterion as set forth by the prefetch canceling instruction in order to select qualified prefetches. In response to evaluating, a cache subsystem is communicated with to cause canceling of the qualified prefetches that fit the criterion. In response to successful canceling of the qualified prefetches, a local cache is prevented from being updated from the qualified prefetches.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2017
    Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Michael Karl Gschwind, Maged M. Michael, Valentina Salapura, Eric M. Schwarz, Chung-Lung K. Shum
  • Patent number: 9524164
    Abstract: A system and method for efficient predicting and processing of memory access dependencies. A computing system includes control logic that marks a detected load instruction as a first type responsive to predicting the load instruction has high locality and is a candidate for store-to-load (STL) data forwarding. The control logic marks the detected load instruction as a second type responsive to predicting the load instruction has low locality and is not a candidate for STL data forwarding. The control logic processes a load instruction marked as the first type as if the load instruction is dependent on an older store operation. The control logic processes a load instruction marked as the second type as if the load instruction is independent on any older store operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2016
    Assignee: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
    Inventors: Lena E. Olson, Yasuko Eckert, Srilatha Manne
  • Patent number: 9513917
    Abstract: A vector friendly instruction format and execution thereof. According to one embodiment of the invention, a processor is configured to execute an instruction set. The instruction set includes a vector friendly instruction format. The vector friendly instruction format has a plurality of fields including a base operation field, a modifier field, an augmentation operation field, and a data element width field, wherein the first instruction format supports different versions of base operations and different augmentation operations through placement of different values in the base operation field, the modifier field, the alpha field, the beta field, and the data element width field, and wherein only one of the different values may be placed in each of the base operation field, the modifier field, the alpha field, the beta field, and the data element width field on each occurrence of an instruction in the first instruction format in instruction streams.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2016
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Robert C. Valentine, Jesus Corbal San Adrian, Roger Espasa Sans, Robert D. Cavin, Bret L. Toll, Santiago Galan Duran, Jeffrey G. Wiedemeier, Sridhar Samudrala, Milind Baburao Girkar, Edward Thomas Grochowski, Jonathan Cannon Hall, Dennis R. Bradford, Elmoustapha Ould-Ahmed-Vall, James C. Abel, Mark Charney, Seth Abraham, Suleyman Sair, Andrew Thomas Forsyth, Lisa Wu, Charles Yount
  • Patent number: 9513905
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a processor may include a vector unit to perform operations on multiple data elements responsive to a single instruction, and a control unit coupled to the vector unit to provide the data elements to the vector unit, where the control unit is to enable an atomic vector operation to be performed on at least some of the data elements responsive to a first vector instruction to be executed under a first mask and a second vector instruction to be executed under a second mask. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2016
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Mikhail Smelyanskiy, Sanjeev Kumar, Daehyun Kim, Jatin Chhugani, Changkyu Kim, Christopher J. Hughes, Victor W. Lee, Anthony D. Nguyen, Yen-Kuang Chen
  • Patent number: 9513959
    Abstract: A hardware transactional memory 12, 14, 16, 18, 20 is provided within a multiprocessor 4, 6, 8, 10 system with coherency control and hardware transaction memory control circuitry 22 that serves to at least partially manage the scheduling of processing transactions in dependence upon conflict data 26, 28, 30. The conflict data characterizes previously encountered conflicts between processing transactions. The scheduling is performed such that a candidate processing transaction will not be scheduled if the conflict data indicates that one of the already running processing transactions has previously conflicted with the candidate processing transaction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2016
    Assignees: ARM Limited, The Regents of the University of Michigan
    Inventors: Stuart David Biles, Geoffrey Blake, Trevor Nigel Mudge
  • Patent number: 9513920
    Abstract: A computer processor is operably coupled to a memory system. The memory system is configured to store instruction blocks, wherein each instruction block is associated with an entry address and multiple distinct instruction streams within the instruction block. The multiple distinct instruction streams include at least a first instruction stream and a second instruction stream. The first instruction stream has an instruction order that logically extends in a direction of increasing memory space relative to the entry address of the instruction block. The second instruction stream has an instruction order that logically extends in a direction of decreasing memory space relative to the entry address of the instruction block. The computer processor includes a number of multi-stage instruction processing components corresponding to the multiple distinct instruction streams within each instruction block.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2016
    Assignee: MILL COMPUTING, INC.
    Inventors: Roger Rawson Godard, Arthur David Kahlich, David Arthur Yost
  • Patent number: 9514045
    Abstract: A technique for operating a cache memory of a data processing system includes creating respective pollution vectors to track which of multiple concurrent threads executed by an associated processor core are currently polluted by a store operation resident in the cache memory. Dependencies in a dependency data structure of a store queue of the cache memory are set based on the pollution vectors to reduce unnecessary ordering effects. Store operations are dispatched from the store queue in accordance with the dependencies indicated by the dependency data structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2016
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Guy L. Guthrie, Hugh Shen, William J. Starke, Derek E. Williams
  • Patent number: 9495168
    Abstract: In an embodiment, a system includes a processor including one or more cores and a plurality of alias registers to store memory range information associated with a plurality of operations of a loop. The memory range information references one or more memory locations within a memory. The system also includes register assignment means for assigning each of the alias registers to a corresponding operation of the loop, where the assignments are made according to a rotation schedule, and one of the alias registers is assigned to a first operation in a first iteration of the loop and to a second operation in a subsequent iteration of the loop. The system also includes the memory coupled to the processor. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2016
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Hongbo Rong, Cheng Wang, Hyunchul Park, Youfeng Wu
  • Patent number: 9471314
    Abstract: According to an aspect, branch prediction in a processing system that includes a primary branch predictor and an auxiliary perceptron branch predictor is provided. The primary branch predictor and the auxiliary perceptron branch predictor are searched to make a branch prediction. A perceptron magnitude of a perceptron branch predictor from the auxiliary perceptron branch predictor is compared to a magnitude usage limit. An auxiliary predictor result from the auxiliary perceptron branch predictor is selected as the branch prediction based on the perceptron magnitude exceeding the magnitude usage limit. A primary predictor result from the primary branch predictor is selected as the branch prediction based on the perceptron magnitude not exceeding the magnitude usage limit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2016
    Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: James J. Bonanno, Michael J. Cadigan, Jr., Adam B. Collura, Daniel Lipetz
  • Patent number: 9471327
    Abstract: A tool for formally verifying forwarding paths in an information pipeline. The tool creates two logic design copies of the pipeline to be verified. The tool retrieves a first and a second instruction, which have previously been proven to compute a mathematically correct result when executed separately. The tool defines driver input functions for issuing instructions to the two logic design copies. In accordance with the driver input functions, the tool issues instructions to the two logic design copies. The tool abstracts data flow of the two logic design copies to isolate forwarding paths for verification. The tool adjusts for latency differences between the first and second logic design copies. The tool checks a register for results, and when results from of two logic design copies become available in the register, the tool verifies the results to conclusively prove the correctness of all states of the information pipeline.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2016
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Anand B. Arunagiri, Udo Krautz, Sujeet Kumar, Viresh Paruthi
  • Patent number: 9459878
    Abstract: A tool for formally verifying forwarding paths in an information pipeline. The tool creates two logic design copies of the pipeline to be verified. The tool retrieves a first and a second instruction, which have previously been proven to compute a mathematically correct result when executed separately. The tool defines driver input functions for issuing instructions to the two logic design copies. In accordance with the driver input functions, the tool issues instructions to the two logic design copies. The tool abstracts data flow of the two logic design copies to isolate forwarding paths for verification. The tool adjusts for latency differences between the first and second logic design copies. The tool checks a register for results, and when results from of two logic design copies become available in the register, the tool verifies the results to conclusively prove the correctness of all states of the information pipeline.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2016
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Anand B. Arunagiri, Udo Krautz, Sujeet Kumar, Viresh Paruthi
  • Patent number: 9436473
    Abstract: A single instruction multiple thread (SIMT) processor includes scheduling circuitry for calculating a next scheduled execution point for execution circuits which execute respective threads corresponding to a common program. In addition to calculating the next scheduled execution point, the scheduling circuitry determines a runner up execution point which would have been determined as the next scheduled execution point if the threads which actually correspond to the next scheduled execution point had been removed from consideration. This runner up execution point is used to identify points of re-convergence within the program flow and as part of the operation of a static branch predictor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2016
    Assignee: ARM Limited
    Inventors: Rune Holm, Jr., David Hennah Mansell
  • Patent number: 9411842
    Abstract: Techniques for performing database operations using vectorized instructions are provided. In one technique, it is determined whether to perform a database operation using one or more vectorized instructions or without using any vectorized instructions. This determination may comprise estimating a first cost of performing the database operation using one or more vectorized instructions and estimating a second cost of performing the database operation without using any vectorized instructions. Multiple factors that may be used to determine which approach to follow, such as the number of data elements that may fit into a SIMD register, a number of vectorized instructions in the vectorized approach, a number of data movement instructions that involve moving data from a SIMD register to a non-SIMD register and/or vice versa, a size of a cache, and a projected size of a hash table.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2016
    Assignee: Oracle International Corporation
    Inventors: Rajkumar Sen, Sam Idicula, Nipun Agarwal
  • Patent number: 9390058
    Abstract: In an embodiment, a processor may be configured to dynamically infer one or more attributes of input and/or output registers of an instruction, given the attributes corresponding to at least one input registers. The inference may be made at the issue circuit/stage of the processor, for those registers that do not have attribute information at the issue circuit/stage. In an embodiment, the processor may also include a register attribute tracker configured to track attributes of registers prior to the issue stage of the processor pipeline. The processor may feed back, to the register attribute tracker, inferred attributes and the register addresses of the registers to which the inferred attributes apply. The register attribute tracker may be configured to may associate the inferred attribute with the identified register attribute tracker may also be configured to infer input register attributes from other input register attributes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2016
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventor: Jeffry E. Gonion
  • Patent number: 8190862
    Abstract: A hardware device for processing the tasks of an algorithm of the type having a number of processes the execution of some of which depend on binary decisions has a plurality of task units (10, 12, 14), each of which are associated with a task defined as being either one process or one decision or one process together with a following decision. A task interconnection logic block (16) is connected to each task unit for communicating actions from a source task unit to a destination task unit. Each task unit includes a processor (18) for processing the steps of the associated task when a received action requests such a processing. A status manager (20) handles actions coming from other task units and builds actions to be sent to other task units.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Alain Benayoun, Jean-Francois Le Pennec, Patrick Michel, Claude Pin
  • Patent number: 8185724
    Abstract: An integrated circuit, and method of reviewing values of one or more signals occurring within that integrated circuit, are provided. The integrated circuit comprises processing logic for executing a program, and monitoring logic for reviewing values of one or more signals occurring within the integrated circuit as a result of execution of the program. The monitoring logic stores configuration data, which can be software programmed in relation to the signals to be monitored. Further, the monitoring logic makes use of a Bloom filter which, for a value to be reviewed, performs a hash operation on that value in order to reference the configuration data to determine whether that value is either definitely not a value within the range or is potentially a value within the range of values. If the value is determined to be within the set of values, then a trigger signal is generated which can be used to trigger a further monitoring process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2012
    Assignee: ARM Limited
    Inventors: Simon Andrew Ford, Alastair Reid
  • Patent number: 8181005
    Abstract: A system and method for branch prediction in a microprocessor. A hybrid device stores branch prediction information in a sparse cache for no more than a common smaller number of branches within each entry of the instruction cache. For the less common case wherein an i-cache line comprises additional branches, the device stores the corresponding branch prediction information in a dense cache. Each entry of the sparse cache stores a bit vector indicating whether or not a corresponding instruction cache line includes additional branch instructions. This indication may also be used to select an entry in the dense cache for storage. A second sparse cache stores entire evicted entries from the first sparse cache.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2012
    Assignee: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
    Inventors: Gerald D. Zuraski, Jr., James D. Dundas, Anthony X. Jarvis
  • Patent number: 8176496
    Abstract: A system and method for conducting symbolic partial order reduction for concurrent systems includes determining a guarded independence relation which includes transitions from different threads that are independent for a set of states, when a condition or predicate holds. Partial order reduction is performed using the guarded independence relation to permit automatic pruning of redundant thread interleavings when the guarded independence condition holds.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2012
    Assignee: NEC Laboratories America, Inc.
    Inventors: Chao Wang, Zijian Yang, Vineet Kahlon, Aarti Gupta