Abstract: An interconnect controller includes a data link layer controller coupled to a transaction layer, wherein the data link layer controller selectively receives data packets from and sends data packets to the transaction layer, and a physical layer controller coupled to the data link layer controller and to a communication link. The physical layer controller selectively operates at a first predetermined link speed. The physical layer controller has an enhanced speed mode, wherein in response to performing a link initialization, the interconnect controller queries a data processing platform to determine whether the enhanced speed mode is permitted, performs at least one setup operation to select an enhanced speed, wherein the enhanced speed is greater than the first predetermined link speed, and subsequently operates the communication link using the enhanced speed.

Abstract: Bus protocol features are provided for chaining memory access requests on a high speed interconnect bus, allowing for reduced signaling overhead. Multiple memory request messages are received over a bus. A first message has a source identifier, a target identifier, a first address, and first payload data. The first payload data is stored in a memory at locations indicated by the first address. Within a selected second one of the request messages, a chaining indicator is received associated with the first request message and second payload data. The second request message does not include an address. Based on the chaining indicator, a second address for which memory access is requested is calculated based on the first address. The second payload data is stored in the memory at locations indicated by the second address.

Abstract: A link controller includes a Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) physical layer circuit for coupling to a communication link and providing a data path over the communication link, a first data link layer controller which operates according to a PCIe protocol, and a second data link layer controller which operates according to a Gen-Z protocol. A multiplexer-demultiplexer selectively connects both data link layer controllers to the PCIe physical layer circuit. A protocol translation circuit is coupled between the multiplexer-demultiplexer and the second data link layer controller, the protocol translation circuit receiving traffic data from the second data link layer controller in a Gen-Z format, encapsulating the Gen-Z format in a PCIe format, and passing traffic data to the multiplexer-demultiplexer circuit.

Abstract: There are many instances where a standard dynamic range (“SDR”) overlay is displayed over high dynamic range (“HDR”) content on HDR displays. Because the overlay is SDR, the maximum brightness of the overlay is much lower than the maximum brightness of the HDR content, which can lead to the SDR elements being obscured if those elements have at least some transparency. The present disclosure provides techniques including modifying the luminance of either or both of the HDR and SDR content when an SDR layer with some transparency is displayed over HDR content. A variety of techniques are provided. In one example, a fixed adjustment is applied to pixels of one or both of the SDR layer and the HDR layer. The fixed adjustment comprises decreasing the luminance of the HDR layer and/or increasing the luminance of the SDR layer. In another example, a variable adjustment is applied.

Abstract: A link controller, method, and data processing platform are provided with dual-protocol capability. The link controller includes a physical layer circuit for providing a data lane over a communication link, a first data link layer controller which operates according to a first protocol, and a second data link layer controller which operates according to a second protocol. A multiplexer/demultiplexer selectively connects both data link layer controllers to the physical layer circuit. A link training and status state machine (LTSSM) selectively controls the physical layer circuit to transmit and receive first training ordered sets over the data lane, and inside the training ordered sets, transmit and receive alternative protocol negotiation information over the data lane. In response to receiving the alternative protocol negotiation information, the LTSSM causes the multiplexer/demultiplexer to selectively connect the physical layer circuit to the second data link layer controller.

Abstract: A data transmission medium includes first and second conductors and a first reversible plug connector coupled to a first end thereof. The first reversible plug connector includes a plurality of signal pins, a crossbar switch, a receiver, and a transmitter. In response to a first configuration state, the plurality of signal pins includes a first predetermined number of reception pins and a second predetermined number of transmission pins. The first and second predetermined numbers are different from each other and each is greater than zero. The crossbar switch couples the first predetermined number of reception pins to a first port and the second predetermined number of transmission pins to a second port. The receiver has an input coupled to the first conductor, and an output coupled to the first port. The transmitter has an input coupled to the second port and an output coupled to the second conductor.

Abstract: Power management in a computing device. A driver is registered with an operating system (OS) executing on the computing device to receive information about a position of a user interface control. If the user interface control is moved, the driver receives a notification of the user interface control position and determines a power management intervention based on the position. The driver transmits the power management intervention to power control circuitry which sets a power setting of the computing device based on the intervention.

Abstract: Described herein are a method and device for transferring data in a computer system. The device includes a host processor, a plurality of first memory architectures, a switch, a redundant array of independent drives (RAID) assist unit; and a second memory architecture. The host processor is configured to send a data transfer command to the RAID assist unit via the switch. The RAID assist unit is configured to create a set of parallel memory transactions between the plurality of first memory architectures and the second memory architecture, execute the set of parallel memory transactions via the local switch and absent interaction with the host processor; and notify the host processor upon completion of data transfer. In an implementation, the plurality of first memory architectures is non-volatile memories (NVMs) and the second memory architecture is local memory.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a region-based reference management system using in video frame encoding. Source content, such as video game streaming or remote desktop sharing, that includes scene changes or significant instantaneous changes in a region from one frame to the next can present encoding challenges. Techniques disclosed herein use hints about changes in regional frame content, dissect frame content into regions, and associate the dissected regions with stored reference frame data using the hints and information about the regions to more efficiently encode frames.

Abstract: A memory module performs a memory readiness test, and reports results to a host system. The memory module initializes a status register with an initial ready time value and a memory readiness status. The memory module conducts the memory readiness test, and while conducting the memory readiness test, estimates a new ready time based on the progress of the memory readiness test. The memory module updates the ready time value in the status register based on the new ready time. After finishing the memory readiness test, the memory module updates the memory readiness status in the status register.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for physical layer bypass data transmission between physical coding sub-layers (PCS) includes encoding the data for transmission over a serial low-speed link. The data is transmitted from a first PCS via a serial connection over a serializer/deserializer (SERDES) transmission bypass path The data is received by a second PCS via a SERDES receive bypass path.

Abstract: Techniques for improving data transfer in a system having multiple accelerated processing devices (“APDs”) are described herein. In such a system, multiple APDs are coupled to a processor (e.g., a central processing unit (“CPU”)) via a general interconnect fabric and to each other via a high speed interconnect. The techniques herein increase the effective bandwidth for transfer of data between the CPU and the APD by transmitting data to both APDs through the portion of the interconnect fabric coupled to each respective APD. Then, one of the APDs transfers data to the other APD or to the processor via the high speed inter-APD interconnect. Although data transferred “indirectly” through the helper APD takes slightly more time to be transferred than a direct transfer, the total effective bandwidth to the target is increased due to the high-speed inter-APD interconnect.

Abstract: A technique for improving performance of a data compression system is provided. The technique is applicable to compressed data sets that include compression blocks. Each compression block may be either compressed or uncompressed. Metadata indicating whether compression blocks are actually compressed or not is stored. If compression blocks are not compressed, then a read-decompress-modify-compress-write pipeline is bypassed. Instead, a compression unit writes the data specified by the partial request into the compression block, without reading, decompressing, modifying, recompressing, and writing the data, resulting in a much faster operation.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and devices for scene change detection and image encoding. A sequence of image frames is input. For a first image frame of the sequence, a first total sum of absolute transformed differences (SATD) is calculated. For a second frame of the sequence, a second total SATD is calculated. An absolute difference between the first total SATD and the second total SATD is calculated. If the absolute difference meets or exceeds a threshold, the second frame and a third frame of the sequence subsequent to the second frame are encoded based on a scene change, and the second frame and the third frame are transmitted. If the absolute difference does not meet or exceed the threshold, the second frame is encoded based on a same scene and the second frame is transmitted.

Abstract: A technique for prefetching data for a cache is provided. The technique includes detecting access to a data block. In response to the detection, a prefetch block generates proposed blocks for prefetch. The prefetch block also examines prefetch tracking data to determine whether a prefetch group including the proposed blocks is marked as already having been prefetched. If the group has been marked as already having been prefetched, then then prefetch block does not prefetch that data, thereby avoiding traffic between the prefetch block and the cache memory. Using this technique, unnecessary requests to prefetch data into the cache memory are avoided.

Abstract: A computer processing device transitions among a plurality of power management states and at least one power management sub-state. From a first state, it is determined whether an entry condition for a third state is satisfied. If the entry condition for the third state is satisfied, the third state is entered. If the entry condition for the third state is not satisfied, it is determined whether an entry condition for the first sub-state is satisfied. If the entry condition for the first sub-state is determined to be satisfied, the first sub-state is entered, a first sub-state residency timer is started, and after expiry of the first sub-state residency timer, the first sub-state is exited, the first state is re-entered, and it is re-determined whether the entry condition for the third state is satisfied.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus provide pixel information for display. In one example, the methods and apparatus map, using a computing device, pixel information of a virtual rendering surface to a physical curved display screen based on field-of-view point reference data and display curvature data of one or more curved displays using a non-constant scale ratio among a plurality of differing physical pixels in at least one row of a portion of the physical curved display screen. Display data is output based on the mapped pixel information for display to the one or more curved displays.

Abstract: A technique for prefetching data for a cache is provided. The technique includes detecting access to a data block. In response to the detection, a prefetch block generates proposed blocks for prefetch. The prefetch block also examines prefetch tracking data to determine whether a prefetch group including the proposed blocks is marked as already having been prefetched. If the group has been marked as already having been prefetched, then prefetch block does not prefetch that data, thereby avoiding traffic between the prefetch block and the cache memory. Using this technique, unnecessary requests to prefetch data into the cache memory are avoided.

Abstract: A technique for improving performance of a cache is provided. The technique involves maintaining indicators of whether cache entries are dirty in a random access memory (“RAM”) that has a lower latency to a cache controller than the cache memory that stores the cache entries. When a request to invalidate one or more cache entries is received by the cache controller, the cache controller checks the RAM to determine whether any cache entries are dirty and thus should be written out to a backing store. Using the RAM removes the need to check the actual cache memory for whether cache entries are dirty, which reduces the latency associated with performing such checks and thus with performing cache invalidations.

Abstract: A technique for scheduling processing tasks having different latencies is provided. The technique involves identifying one or more available requests in a request queue, where each request queue corresponds to a different latency. A request arbiter examines a shift register to determine whether there is an available slot for the one or more requests. A slot is available for a request if there is a slot that is a number of slots from the end of the shift register equal to the number of cycles the request takes to complete processing in a corresponding processing pipeline. If a slot is available, the request is scheduled for execution and the slot is marked as being occupied. If a slot is not available, the request is not scheduled for execution on the current cycle. On transitioning to a new cycle, the shift register is shifted towards its end and the technique repeats.