Abstract: A system for power distribution to network devices in a powered network is described herein. The system includes a first power sourcing equipment (PSE) device, which is configured to communicate data and selectively provide power to one or more devices. The system further includes a second PSE device coupled to the first PSE device through a network cable. The second PSE device is configured to communicate data, selectively provide power to one or more devices, and to receive a probing input through the network cable. The second PSE device includes a false detection mitigation circuit, which is configured to increase a leakage current of the second PSE device. The increased leakage current is associated with a resistive signature that is outside of a resistive range of a valid powered device.

Abstract: A hypervisor and one or more guest operating systems resident in a data processing system and hosted by the hypervisor are configured to selectively enable or disable branch prediction logic through separate hypervisor-mode and guest-mode instructions. By doing so, different branch prediction strategies may be employed for different operating systems and user applications hosted thereby to provide finer grained optimization of the branch prediction logic for different operating scenarios.

Abstract: A computing machine is disclosed having a memory system for storing a collection of execution nodes, a head for reading a sequence of symbols in the execution nodes in the memory system, and writing a sequence of symbols in the memory system. The machine is configured to execute a computation with a collection of pairs of execution nodes. Each pair of execution nodes represents a machine instruction. One execution node in the pair represents input of the machine instruction represented by the execution nodes. Another execution node in the pair represents output of the machine instruction represented by the execution nodes. Each execution node has a state of the machine, a sequence of symbols and a number.

Abstract: A processor for processing loop instructions can include an instruction reorder structure and a loop processing controller. The instruction reorder structure is configured to store decoded instructions according to program order and issue the decoded instructions for execution out of program order. The loop processing controller is configured to detect a loop in the decoded instructions stored in the instruction reorder structure and cause the instruction reorder structure to reissue the decoded instructions that form the loop for re-execution.

Abstract: Embodiments provide methods, apparatus, systems, and computer readable media associated with predicting predicates and branch targets during execution of programs using combined branch target and predicate predictions. The predictions may be made using one or more prediction control flow graphs which represent predicates in instruction blocks and branches between blocks in a program. The prediction control flow graphs may be structured as trees such that each node in the graphs is associated with a predicate instruction, and each leaf associated with a branch target which jumps to another block. During execution of a block, a prediction generator may take a control point history and generate a prediction. Following the path suggested by the prediction through the tree, both predicate values and branch targets may be predicted. Other embodiments may be described and claimed.

Abstract: A method and circuit arrangement utilize a low latency variable transfer network between the register files of multiple processing cores in a multi-core processor chip to support fine grained parallelism of virtual threads across multiple hardware threads. The communication of a variable over the variable transfer network may be initiated by a move from a local register in a register file of a source processing core to a variable register that is allocated to a destination hardware thread in a destination processing core, so that the destination hardware thread can then move the variable from the variable register to a local register in the destination processing core.

Abstract: A method and system of managing power usage of devices including selectively executing a program application on a plurality of battery powered devices. Battery usage data is generated for a battery in one or more of the devices during execution of the work application. The battery usage data includes the run-time of the battery for the work application being executed. The data is aggregated and stored for the plurality of devices in memory. An application specific battery profile is generated using the stored battery usage data. The application specific battery profile is associated with the work application being run by the client devices.

Abstract: An apparatus includes an instruction decoder, first and second source registers and a circuit coupled to the decoder to receive packed data from the source registers and to unpack the packed data responsive to an unpack instruction received by the decoder. A first packed data element and a third packed data element are received from the first source register. A second packed data element and a fourth packed data element are received from the second source register. The circuit copies the packed data elements into a destination register resulting with the second packed data element adjacent to the first packed data element, the third packed data element adjacent to the second packed data element, and the fourth packed data element adjacent to the third packed data element.

Abstract: A multi-threaded microprocessor for processing instructions in threads, including, in one embodiment, (1) at least one processor pipeline for the instructions; (2) a storage for a thread power management configuration; and (3) a power control circuit coupled to said at least one processor pipeline and responsive to said storage for thread power management configuration to control power used by different parts of the at least one processor pipeline depending on the threads, wherein said power control circuit is operable to establish different power voltages in different parts of the at least one processor pipeline depending on the threads.

Abstract: A digital signal processor (DSP) includes an instruction fetch unit, an instruction decode unit, a register set and a plurality of work units in communication with the instruction decode unit. A first embodiment calculates two divisions on packed numerators and packed denominators. The DSP work units calculate indexes into a 1/d look-up table and make a final sign correction. A second embodiment calculates an approximation of a vector magnitude of a complex number x+jy. The approximation is based upon ?(x2+y2)??*max(|x|, |y|)+?*min(|x|, |y|). The DSP work units calculate the absolute values, find the maxima and minima, and form the packed results of two vector magnitude calculations.

Abstract: Disclosed is an architecture, system and method for performing multi-thread DFA descents on a single input stream. An executer performs DFA transitions from a plurality of threads each starting at a different point in an input stream. A plurality of executers may operate in parallel to each other and a plurality of thread contexts operate concurrently within each executer to maintain the context of each thread which is state transitioning. A scheduler in each executer arbitrates instructions for the thread into an at least one pipeline where the instructions are executed. Tokens may be output from each of the plurality of executers to a token processor which sorts and filters the tokens into dispatch order.

Abstract: A system and method for reducing power consumption through issue throttling of selected problematic instructions. A power throttle unit within a processor maintains instruction issue counts for associated instruction types. The instruction types may be a subset of supported instruction types executed by an execution core within the processor. The instruction types may be chosen based on high power consumption estimates for processing instructions of these types. The power throttle unit may determine a given instruction issue count exceeds a given threshold. In response, the power throttle unit may select given instruction types to limit a respective issue rate. The power throttle unit may choose an issue rate for each one of the selected given instruction types and limit an associated issue rate to a chosen issue rate. The selection of given instruction types and associated issue rate limits is programmable.

Abstract: A data processing system 2 includes a processor core 4 and a memory 6. The processor core 4 includes processing circuitry 12, 14, 16, 18, 26 controlled by control signals generated by decoder circuitry 24 which decodes program instructions. The program instructions include mixed operand size instructions (either load/store instructions or arithmetic instructions) which have a first input operand of a first operand size and a second input operand of a second input operand size where the second operand size is smaller than the first operand size. The processing performed first converts the second operand so as to have the first operand size. The processing then generates a third operand using as inputs the first operand of the first operand size and the second operand now converted to have the first operand size.

Abstract: A circuit arrangement, method, and program product for substituting a plurality of scalar instructions in an instruction stream with a functionally equivalent vector instruction for execution by a vector execution unit. Predecode logic is coupled to an instruction buffer which stores instructions in an instruction stream to be executed by the vector execution unit. The predecode logic analyzes the instructions passing through the instruction buffer to identify a plurality of scalar instructions that may be replaced by a vector instruction in the instruction stream. The predecode logic may generate the functionally equivalent vector instruction based on the plurality of scalar instructions, and the functionally equivalent vector instruction may be substituted into the instruction stream, such that the vector execution unit executes the vector instruction in lieu of the plurality of scalar instructions.

Abstract: A data processing system is provided in which destination operands to be stored within architectural registers are constrained to have zero values added as prefixes in order that the architectural register value has a fixed bit width irrespective of the bit width of the destination operand being written thereto. Instead of adding these zero values everywhere in the data path, they are instead represented by zero flags in at least the physical registers utilized for register renaming operations and in the result queue prior to results being written to the architectural register file. This saves circuitry resources and reduces energy consumption.

Abstract: Dynamically reconfigurable multi-core microprocessors and associated methods are provided. A multi-core microprocessor is provided that supports the ability of system software to disable, or kill, selected cores in such a way that they do not cause drag on the processor bus shared with the other cores. Another multi-core microprocessor is provided that supports reconfiguration of an inter-core coordination system of the microprocessor, wherein cores may be selectively designated as masters for purposes of driving signals onto an inter-core communication wire.

Abstract: A constant data accessing system having a constant pool comprises a computer processor having a constant pool base register, a compiler having a constant pool handler, and an instruction set module having a constant pool instruction set unit. The constant pool base register is configured to store a value of constant pool base address of one or a plurality of subroutines which have constants to be accessed.

Abstract: A code section of a computer program to be executed by a computing device includes memory barrier instructions. Where the code section satisfies a threshold, the code section is modified, by enclosing the code section within a transaction that employs hardware transactional memory of the computing device, and removing the memory barrier instructions from the code section. Execution of the code section as has been enclosed within the transaction can be monitored to yield monitoring results. Where the monitoring results satisfy an abort threshold corresponding to excessive aborting of the execution of the code section as has been enclosed within the transaction, the code section is split into code sub-sections, and each code sub-section enclosed within a separate transaction that employs the hardware transactional memory. Splitting the code section sections and enclosing each code sub-section within a separate transaction can decrease occurrence of the code section aborting during execution.

Abstract: A management unit causes a plurality of processing units to execute a calculation process. A determining unit determines whether a communication time for a communication process of exchanging a calculation result obtained from the calculation process is longer than a calculation time for the calculation process, the communication process being executed between a first computational node including the processor and a second computational node being a different computational node from the first computational node. A control unit limits number of processing units when the determining unit has determined that the communication time is longer than the calculation time.

Abstract: A system and method for efficient branch prediction. A processor includes two branch predictors. A first branch predictor generates branch prediction data, such as a branch direction and a branch target address. The second branch predictor generates branch prediction data at a later time and with higher prediction accuracy. Control logic may determine whether the branch prediction data from each of the first and the second branch predictors match. If a mismatch occurs, the first predictor may be trained with the branch prediction data generated by the second branch predictor. A stored indication of hysteresis may indicate a given branch instruction exhibits a frequently alternating pattern regarding its branch direction. Such behavior may lead to consistent branch mispredictions due to the training is unable to keep up with the changing branch direction. When such a condition is determined to occur, the control logic may prevent training of the first predictor.