Abstract: A computer system, processor, and method for processing information is disclosed. The system, processor and/or method includes at least one computer processor; a register file associated with the at least one processor, the register file having a plurality of entries for storing data where a whole entry has two halves, the register file having multiple ports to write data to the register file and multiple ports to read data from the register file; and one or more execution units associated with the register file, the execution units configured to read data from the register file and to write data to the register file, wherein the processor is configured to write either scalar data or vector data to a single register file entry.

Abstract: A system and/or method for processing information is disclosed that has at least one processor; a register file associated with the processor, the register file sliced into a plurality of STF blocks having a plurality of STF entries, and in an embodiment, each STF block is further partitioned into a plurality of sub-blocks, each sub-block having a different portion of the plurality of STF entries; and a plurality of execution units configured to read data from and write data to the register file, where the plurality of execution units are arranged in one or more execution slices. In one or more embodiments, the system is configured so that each execution slice has a plurality of STF blocks, and alternatively or additionally, each of the plurality of execution units in a single execution slice is assigned to write to one, and preferably only one, of the plurality of STF blocks.

Abstract: A computer system, processor, and method for processing information is disclosed that includes at least one computer processor, a register file associated with the at least one processor, the register file having a plurality of entries for storing data and sliced into a plurality of register banks, each register bank having a portion of the plurality of entries for storing data, one or more write ports to write data to the register file entries, and a plurality of read ports to read data from the register file entries; one or more read multiplexors associated with one or more read ports of each register bank and configured to receive data from the respective register banks; and one or more write multiplexors associated with one or more of the register banks.

Abstract: Fast issuance and execution of a multi-width instruction across multiple slices in a parallel slice processor core is supported in part through the use of an early notification signal passed between issue logic associated with multiple slices handling that multi-width instruction coupled with an issuance of a different instruction by the originating issue logic for the early notification signal.

Abstract: A computer system, processor, and method for processing information is disclosed that includes at least one computer processor; a main register file associated with the at least one processor, the main register file having a plurality of entries for storing data, one or more write ports to write data to the main register file entries, and one or more read ports to read data from the main register file entries; one or more execution units including a dense math execution unit; and at least one accumulator register file having a plurality of entries for storing data. The results of the dense math execution unit in an aspect are written to the accumulator register file, preferably to the same accumulator register file entry multiple times, and the data from the accumulator register file is written to the main register file.

Abstract: An approach is disclosed that that in one or more embodiments includes receiving an indicator to issue an out-of-order instruction or a type of out-of-order instruction in-order; receiving a first instruction; determining whether the first instruction corresponds to the indicated out-of-order instruction or the type of out-of-order instruction; writing, in response to determining that the first instruction corresponds to the indicated out-of-order instruction or the type of out-of-order instruction, an instruction identifier and a dependent instruction opcode into a first queue and an issue queue of the processor; receiving at least one subsequent instruction; determining whether an instruction opcode of the subsequent instructions matches the dependent instruction opcode of the first instruction; and writing, in response to determining the instruction opcode of the subsequent instruction matches the dependent instruction opcode of the instruction, a dependent instruction identifier for the subsequent instruc

Abstract: A computer system, processor, and method for processing information is disclosed that includes determining whether an instruction is a designated instruction, determining whether an instruction following the designated instruction is a subsequent store instruction, speculatively releasing the subsequent store instruction while the designated instruction is pending and before the subsequent store instruction is complete. Preferably, in response to determining that an instruction is the designated instruction, initiating or advancing a speculative tail pointer in an instruction completion table (ICT) to look through the instructions in the ICT following the designated instruction.

Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for performing issue queue snooping for an asynchronous flush and restore of a history buffer (HB) in a processing unit. One technique includes identifying an entry of the HB to restore to a register file in the processing unit. A restore ITAG of the HB entry is sent to the register file via a first restore bus, and restore data of the HB entry and the restore ITAG is sent to the register file via a second restore bus. After the restore ITAG and restore data are sent, an instruction is dispatched before the register file obtains the restore data. After it is determined that the restore data is still available via the second restore bus, a snooping operation is performed to obtain the restore data from the second restore bus for the dispatched instruction.

Abstract: A method, system, and/or processor for processing data is disclosed that includes processing a parent stream; detecting a branch instruction in the parent stream; activating an additional child stream; setting a copy select vector of the child stream to be the same as the copy select vector of the parent stream; dispatching instructions for the parent stream and the additional child stream, and executing the parent stream and the additional child stream on different execution slices. In an aspect, the method further includes setting the copy select bits in the copy select vector for the child stream to equal the copy select bits in the copy select vector for the parent stream. A first parent mapper copy in an embodiment is associated and used in connection with executing the parent stream and a second different child mapper copy is associated and used in connection with executing the additional child stream.

Abstract: A method, system, and/or processor for processing data is disclosed that includes processing a parent stream, detecting a branch instruction in the parent stream, activating an additional child stream, copying the content of a parent mapper copy of the parent stream to an additional child mapper copy, dispatching instructions for the parent stream and the additional child stream, and executing the parent stream and the additional child stream on different execution slices. In an aspect, a first parent mapper copy is associated and used in connection with executing the parent stream and a second different child mapper copy is associated and used in connection with executing the additional child stream. The method in an aspect includes processing one or more streams and/or one or more threads of execution on one or more execution slices.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer-readable media are described for performing speculative execution of both paths/branches of a weakly predicted branch instruction. A branch instruction may be fetched from an instruction queue and determined to be a weakly predicted branch instruction, in which case, both paths of the branch instruction may be dispatched and speculatively executed. When the actual path taken becomes known, instructions corresponding to the path not taken may be flushed. Instructions from both paths of a weakly predicted branch instruction that are speculatively executed may be dispatch and executed in an interleaved manner.

Abstract: A multi-slice processor comprising a high-level structure and history buffer. Write backs are no longer associated with the history buffer and the history buffer comprises slices determined by logical register allocation. The history buffer receives a register pointer entry and either releases or restores the entry with functional units comprised in the history buffer.

Abstract: Handling unaligned load operations, including: receiving a request to load data stored within a range of addresses; determining that the range of addresses includes addresses associated with a plurality of caches, wherein each of the plurality of caches are associated with a distinct processor slice; issuing, to each distinct processor slice, a request to load data stored within a cache associated with the distinct processor slice, wherein the request to load data stored within the cache associated with the distinct processor slice includes a portion of the range of addresses; executing, by each distinct processor slice, the request to load data stored within the cache associated with the distinct processor slice; and receiving, over a plurality of data communications busses, execution results from each distinct processor slice, wherein each data communications busses is associated with one of the distinct processor slices.

Abstract: A computer system, processor, and method for processing information is disclosed that includes a Dispatch Unit for dispatching instructions; an Issue Queue for receiving instructions dispatched from the Dispatch Unit; and a queue for receiving instructions issued from the Issue Queue, the queue having a plurality of entry locations for storing data. In an embodiment instructions are dispatched with a virtual indicator, and the virtual indicator is set to a first mode for instructions dispatched where an entry location is available, and to a second mode where an entry location is not available, in the queue to receive the dispatched instruction. In addition to virtual tagging dispatched instructions, a system, processor, and method are disclosed for regional partitioning of queues, region based deallocation of queue entries, and circular thread based assignment of queue entries.

Abstract: Processor instruction scheduling by: providing a set of program instructions, selecting instructions for reordering from the set of program instructions, reordering the instructions according to instruction properties, assigning sequential instruction tags to the instructions, tagging the instructions for completion as a group in a completion table; and executing the instructions.

Abstract: Supplemental instruction dispatch may be used in some instances in a parallel slice processor to dispatch additional instructions, referred to as supplemental instructions, to supplemental instruction ports of execution slices and using primary instruction ports of one or more execution slices to supply one or more source operands for such supplemental instructions. In addition, in some instances, in lieu of or in addition to supplemental instruction dispatch, selective slice partitioning may be used to selectively partition groups of execution slices in a parallel slice processor based upon a threading mode within which such execution slices are executing.

Abstract: A method, processor and system for processing data is disclosed that includes evicting one or more evicted fields from a logical register mapper; receiving, by a history buffer, the one or more evicted fields from the logical register mapper; determining whether two or more of the evicted fields from the mapper qualify to be written to a single entry in the history buffer; and in response to the two or more evicted fields qualifying, writing the two or more qualifying evicted fields received from the mapper to a single entry in the qualified history buffer. The method, processor, and/or system further includes in an embodiment, remapping the one or more qualified evicted fields, and further, in response to the two or more evicted fields not qualifying to be written to a single entry in the history buffer, writing the two or more evicted fields to multiple history buffer entries.

Abstract: A method, processor and/or system for processing data is disclosed that in an aspect includes providing a physical register file with one or more register file entries for storing data; identifying each physical register file entry with a row identifier to identify the entry row in the physical register file; enabling one or more columns within a target entry row of the physical register file; and revising data in the columns enabled within the target entry row of the physical register file. In an aspect, each physical register file entry is partitioned into a plurality of columns having a bit width and a column mask preferably is used to enable the one or more columns within the target row of the physical register file, and data is revised in only the columns enabled by the column mask.

Abstract: Handling unaligned load operations, including: receiving a request to load data stored within a range of addresses; determining that the range of addresses includes addresses associated with a plurality of caches, wherein each of the plurality of caches are associated with a distinct processor slice; issuing, to each distinct processor slice, a request to load data stored within a cache associated with the distinct processor slice, wherein the request to load data stored within the cache associated with the distinct processor slice includes a portion of the range of addresses; executing, by each distinct processor slice, the request to load data stored within the cache associated with the distinct processor slice; and receiving, over a plurality of data communications busses, execution results from each distinct processor slice, wherein each data communications busses is associated with one of the distinct processor slices.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for completing atomic instructions in a microprocessor may be provided by identifying from a program-ordered Instruction Completion Table (ICT) a last entry in a completion window of instructions for completion in a current clock cycle of a processor; in response to determining that the last entry includes an atomic instruction that straddles the completion window: excluding the last entry from completion during the current clock cycle; completing instructions in the completion window for the current clock cycle; and shifting the completion window to include the last entry and a next entry adjacent to the last entry in the ICT in a next clock cycle.