Abstract: Configuration management information having circuit configuration information for altering a circuit configuration of an FPGA (12) is stored in a memory (13), the configuration management information according to information related to an instruction group, which is supplied by a configuration management unit (11) from the outside via a signal line group (14), is read from the memory (13), and the circuit configuration of the FPGA (12) is altered according to the read configuration management information to execute processing of the instruction group so that information processing by software is replaced by information processing by hardware in real time, which increases execution speed of information processing and shortens verification time of software, enabling software development in a shorter period and with higher efficiency.

Abstract: The data processor for executing, instructions realized by wired logic, by a pipeline system, includes a plurality of instruction registers, and arithmetic operation units of the same number. A plurality of instructions read in the instruction registers in one machine cycle at a time are processed in parallel by the plurality of arithmetic operation units.

Abstract: Efficient computation of complex multiplication results and very efficient fast Fourier transforms (FFTs) are provided. A parallel array VLIW digital signal processor is employed along with specialized complex multiplication instructions and communication operations between the processing elements which are overlapped with computation to provide very high performance operation. Successive iterations of a loop of tightly packed VLIWs are used allowing the complex multiplication pipeline hardware to be efficiently used. In addition, efficient techniques for supporting combined multiply accumulate operations are described.

Abstract: Parallel table lookups are implemented using variable Mux instructions to reorder data. Table data can be represented in a “table” register, while the desired ordering can be represented in an “Index” register. A direct variable Mux instruction can specify the table register and the index register as arguments, along with a result register. The instruction writes at least some of the data from the table register into the result register as specified in the index register. If the entire table cannot fit within a single register, entries can be divided between two or more table registers. An indirect variable Mux instruction can specify both a table-register-select register and a subword-location-select register. Both the direct and indirect Mux instructions can be used with entry data that is divided in accordance with significance between registers. In that case, plural Mux instructions are used with UnPack instructions that concatenate portions of the table entries.

Abstract: An apparatus for processing a sequence of instructions, which comprises a LCALL instruction, a FCALL instruction and a common re-jump instruction (return), comprises a means for reading-in an instruction, to perform the read-in instruction of a means for examining the instruction. In the case of the presence of LCALL or FCALL, a stack memory is filled, while the stack is emptied in the case of the presence of a re-jump instruction. At every re-jump, a predetermined amount of re-jump information is taken from stack and supplied to a means for decoding, which is formed to access the stack again in the case where the predetermined amount of re-jump information indicates a change of the physical memory window, to finally supply the correct address for the next instruction in the instruction sequence to the means for reading in.

Abstract: An information processing apparatus which, when executing a plurality of predetermined units of processing, executes the predetermined units of processing in parallel by a processor by switching between contexts associated with the respective predetermined units. The processing apparatus comprises a plurality of register banks that respectively store the contexts associated with the respective predetermined units of processing, the processor that, after the context switching, executes processing associated with a foreground context, and a save/restore controller that, in parallel with the processor executing the processing associated with the foreground context, saves a background context to memory and restores the context of a unit of processing to be executed the next time from the memory to a background register bank.

Abstract: Embodiments of an apparatus, system and method enhance the efficiency of processor resource utilization during instruction prefetching via one or more speculative threads. Renamer logic and a map table are utilized to perform filtering of instructions in a speculative thread instruction stream. The map table includes a yes-a-thing bit to indicate whether the associated physical register's content reflects the value that would be computed by the main thread. A thread progress beacon table is utilized to track relative progress of a main thread and a speculative helper thread. Based upon information in the thread progress beacon table, the main thread may effect termination of a helper thread that is not likely to provide a performance benefit for the main thread.

Abstract: In a multi-threaded processor, a long latency data dependent thread is flushed from the execution pipelines. Once the stalled thread is flushed, the non-stalling threads in the pipeline can continue their execution. Several resources are used to reduce this unwanted impact of stalls on the non-stalling threads. Also, these resources ensure that the earlier stalled thread, now flushed, is re-executed when the data dependency is resolved.

Abstract: An apparatus and method are provided for extending a microprocessor instruction set beyond its current capabilities to allow for extended size operands specifiable by programmable instructions in the microprocessor instruction set. The apparatus includes translation logic and extended execution logic. The translation logic translates an extended instruction into corresponding micro instructions for execution by the microprocessor. The extended instruction has an extended prefix and an extended prefix tag. The extended prefix specifies an extended operand size for an operand corresponding to a prescribed operation, where the extended operand size cannot be specified by an existing instruction set. The extended prefix tag indicates the extended prefix, where the extended prefix tag is an otherwise architecturally specified opcode within the existing instruction set. The extended execution logic is coupled to the translation logic.

Abstract: Hardware and software techniques for interrupt detection and response in a scalable pipelined array processor environment are described. Utilizing these techniques, a sequential program execution model with interrupts can be maintained in a highly parallel scalable pipelined array processing containing multiple processing elements (PEs) and distributed memories and register files. When an interrupt occurs, interface signals are provided to all PEs to support independent interrupt operations in each PE dependent upon the local PE instruction sequence prior to the interrupt. Processing/element exception interrupts are supported and low latency interrupt processing is also provided for embedded systems where real time signal processing is required. Further, a hierarchical interrupt structure is used allowing a generalized debug approach using debug interrupts and a dynamic debug monitor mechanism.

Abstract: A processor for sequentially executing a plurality of programs using a plurality of register value groups stored in a memory that correspond one-to-one with the programs.

Abstract: An efficient branch prediction structure is described that bifurcates a branch prediction structure into at least two portions where information stored in the second portion is aliased amongst multiple entries of the first portion. In this way, overall storage (and layout area) can be reduced and scaling with a branch prediction structure that includes a (2N)K×1 branch direction entries and a (N/2)K×1 branch prediction qualifier entries is less dramatic than conventional techniques. An efficient branch prediction structure includes entries for branch direction indications and entries for branch prediction qualifier indications. The branch direction indication entries are more numerous than the branch prediction qualifier entries.

Abstract: Multiple instructions, specifying equivalent operations but designating different execution units, are stored beforehand on an instruction exchange table. First, a primary compiler compiles a source program into a set of machine-readable instructions. From the set of instructions, an instruction parallelizer generates a set of long instruction words. Specifically, an instruction identifier identifies one of the instructions in the set with one of the instructions stored on the instruction exchange table. Then, an instruction replacer replaces the instruction in question with another one of the instructions that is also stored on the instruction exchange table, specifies an equivalent operation but designates a different execution unit as a target. In this manner, the number of parallelly executable instructions can be increased, while the number of no-operation instructions can be reduced, thus generating a parallelized instruction set at a higher level of parallelism.

Abstract: In the control section, an operation instruction not prescribing a functional specification, and a unit for processing the specific application-purpose operation instruction is provided within the processor core. The structure of this unit can be changed based on a flexible pipeline structure, and is separately designed for each application field. A register that prescribes a latency from when an instruction of the above unit is issued till when a result can be utilized is also provided in the processor core so as to prevent contention of an output port. Another register that prescribes a latency relating to a constraint of an interval of issuing an instruction of the above unit is also provided in the processor core so as to prevent contention of a resource with the preceding instructions.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for dispatching a very long instruction word (VLIW) instruction having a variable length are provided. The apparatus for dispatching a VLIW instruction includes a packet buffer for storing at least one or more VLIW instructions, and a decoding unit configured to constitute a VLIW instruction to be currently executed among the VLIW instructions stored in the packet buffer and decode predetermined bits of each sub-instruction contained in the VLIW instruction. The apparatus dispatches a corresponding sub-instruction to an FU which corresponds to each sub-instruction, based on the results of decoding performed in the decoding unit, position information on the sub-instructions that are placed on the packet buffer, and position information on the sub-instructions that are placed in the current VLIW instruction. Sub-instructions can be effectively dispatched to corresponding FUs using simple decoding logic even in a case where the length of the VLIW instruction is not fixed.

Abstract: A processor including a Boolean logic unit, wherein the Boolean logic unit is operable for performing the short-circuit evaluation of Conjunctive Normal Form Boolean expressions/operations, a plurality of input/output interfaces, wherein the plurality of input/output interfaces are operable for receiving a plurality of compiled Boolean expressions/operations and transmitting a plurality of compiled results, and a plurality of registers. An associated processing method including starting an operation related to a Conjunctive Normal Form Boolean expression, wherein the Boolean expression comprises a conjunct, evaluating the conjunct, and selectively short-circuiting a portion of the Boolean expression.

Abstract: When fetching an instruction from a plurality of memory banks, a first pipeline cycle corresponding to selection of a memory bank and a second pipeline cycle corresponding to instruction readout are generated to carry out a pipeline process. Only the selected memory bank can be precharged to allow reduction of power consumption. Since the first and second pipeline cycles are effected in parallel, the throughput of the instruction memory can be improved.

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for a data processing system are described herein. In one aspect of the invention, an exemplary apparatus includes a chip interconnect, a memory controller for controlling the host memory comprising DRAM memory, the memory controller coupled to the chip interconnect, a scalar processing unit coupled the chip interconnect wherein the scalar processing unit is capable of executing instructions to perform scalar data processing, a vector processing unit coupled the chip interconnect wherein the vector processing unit is capable of executing instructions to perform vector data processing, and an input/output (I/O) interface coupled to the chip interconnect wherein the I/O interface receives/transmits data from/to the scalar and/or vector processing units.

Abstract: An apparatus and method are provided for extending a microprocessor instruction set to allow for selective suppression of store checking at the instruction level. The apparatus includes fetch logic, and translation logic. The fetch logic receives an extended instruction. The extended instruction has an extended prefix and an extended prefix tag. The extended prefix specifies that store checking be suppressed for the extended instruction. The extended prefix tag is an otherwise architectural opcode within an existing instruction set. The fetch logic precludes store checking for pending store events associated with the extended instruction. The translation logic is coupled to the fetch logic. The translation logic translates the extended instruction into a micro instruction sequence that sequence directs the microprocessor to exclude store checking during execution of a prescribed operation.

Abstract: Various load and store instructions may be used to transfer multiple vector elements between registers in a register file and memory. A cnt parameter may be used to indicate a total number of elements to be transferred to or from memory, and an rcnt parameter may be used to indicate a maximum number of vector elements that may be transferred to or from a single register within a register file. Also, the instructions may use a variety of different addressing modes. The memory element size may be specified independently from the register element size such that source and destination sizes may differ within an instruction. With some instructions, a vector stream may be initiated and conditionally enqueued or dequeued. Truncation or rounding fields may be provided such that source data elements may be truncated or rounded when transferred. Also, source data elements may be sign- or unsigned-extended when transferred.