Abstract: A computational apparatus includes a memory unit and Read-Modify-Write (RMW) logic. The memory unit is configured to hold a data value. The RMW logic, which is coupled to the memory unit, is configured to perform an atomic RMW operation on the data value stored in the memory unit.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and apparatuses relating to microarchitectural mechanisms for the prevention of side-channel attacks are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a processor includes a core having a plurality of physical contexts to execute a plurality of threads, a plurality of structures shared by the plurality of threads, a context mapping structure to map context signatures to respective physical contexts of the plurality of physical contexts, each physical context to identify and differentiate state of the plurality of structures, and a context manager circuit to, when one or more of a plurality of fields that comprise a context signature is changed, search the context mapping structure for a match to another context signature, and when the match is found, a physical context associated with the match is set as an active physical context for the core.

Abstract: An apparatus and method are provided for handling prediction information. The apparatus has processing circuitry for performing data processing operations in response to instructions, the processing circuitry comprising transactional memory support circuitry to support execution of a transaction comprising a sequence of instructions. Prediction circuitry is used to generate predictions in relation to instruction flow changing instructions, and prediction storage is provided to store a plurality of items of prediction information that are referenced by the prediction circuitry when generating the predictions. The items of prediction information maintained by the prediction storage change based on the instructions being executed by the processing circuitry. A recovery storage is activated by the transactional memory support circuitry at a transaction start point to store a restore pointer identifying a chosen location in the prediction storage.

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, preferably a condition register that stores status information, the register file having multiple locations for storing data, multiple ports to write data to and read data from the register file. The system or processor includes an execution area, and the processor is configured to read from all the read ports in a first cycle, and to read from all the read ports in a second cycle. In an embodiment, the execution area includes a staging latch to store data from a first cycle read operation, and in an aspect the computer system is configured to combine the data stored in the staging latch during a first read cycle with the data read from the second cycle.

Abstract: A streaming engine employed in a digital data processor specifies a fixed read only data stream recalled memory. Streams are started by one of two types of stream start instructions. A stream start ordinary instruction specifies a register storing a stream start address and a register of storing a stream definition template which specifies stream parameters. A stream start short-cut instruction specifies a register storing a stream start address and an implied stream definition template. A functional unit is responsive to a stream operand instruction to receive at least one operand from a stream head register. The stream template supports plural nested loops with short-cut start instructions limited to a single loop. The stream template supports data element promotion to larger data element size with sign extension or zero extension. A set of allowed stream short-cut start instructions includes various data sizes and promotion factors.

Abstract: An information processing apparatus includes: a memory; and a processor coupled to the memory and configured to: perform an arithmetic operation using an arithmetic operation target; repeat the arithmetic operation by using a calculated arithmetic operation result; obtain a ratio of, in a first number of elements which are included in the arithmetic operation result, a second number of elements in an expressible range as a predetermined-bit fixed point; and perform the arithmetic operation by using the predetermined-bit fixed point based on the ratio.

Abstract: Technical solutions are described for a load-store unit (LSU) that executes a plurality of instructions in an out-of-order (OoO) window using multiple LSU pipes. The execution includes selecting an instruction from the OoO window, the instruction using an effective address; and if the instruction is a load instruction: and if the processing unit is operating in single thread mode, creating an entry in a first partition of a load reorder queue (LRQ) if the instruction is issued on a first load pipe, and creating the entry in a second partition of the LRQ if the instruction is issued on a second load pipe. Further, if the processing unit is operating in a multi-thread mode, creating the entry in a first predetermined portion of the first partition of the LRQ if the instruction is issued on the first load pipe and by a first thread of the processing unit.

Abstract: Technical solutions are described for a load-store unit (LSU) that executes a plurality of instructions in an out-of-order (OoO) window using multiple LSU pipes. The execution includes selecting an instruction from the OoO window, the instruction using an effective address; and if the instruction is a load instruction: and if the processing unit is operating in single thread mode, creating an entry in a first partition of a load reorder queue (LRQ) if the instruction is issued on a first load pipe, and creating the entry in a second partition of the LRQ if the instruction is issued on a second load pipe. Further, if the processing unit is operating in a multi-thread mode, creating the entry in a first predetermined portion of the first partition of the LRQ if the instruction is issued on the first load pipe and by a first thread of the processing unit.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method for marking load and store instruction overlap in a processor pipeline is described. The method includes detecting a load instruction following a store instruction in an instruction stream. The load instruction and the store instruction include instruction text. The instruction text includes operand address information. The method includes comparing operand address information of the store instruction with operand address information of the load instruction to determine whether there is a memory image overlap in an issue queue between the operand address information of the store instruction and the load instruction. The method also includes delaying the load instruction in the processor pipeline in response to determining that there is a memory image overlap.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method is provided for performing bitonic merge operations. The computer-implemented includes receiving a plurality of first values in a first hardware register from a first input stream in ascending order, receiving a plurality of second values in a second hardware register from a second input stream in descending order, performing a bitonic merge operation on the first and second values in the first and second hardware registers, and reversing comparison operations performed by one or more comparators in the bitonic merge operation, outputs of the one or more comparators being loaded into the second hardware register so that output values of the second hardware register are arranged in descending order and placed into an output stream.

Abstract: A lens distortion correction function operates by backmapping output images to the uncorrected, distorted input images. As a vision image processor completes processing on the image data lines needed for the lens distortion correction function to operate on a group of output, undistorted image lines, the lens distortion correction function begins processing the image data. This improves image processing pipeline delays by overlapping the operations. The vision image processor provides output image data to a circular buffer in SRAM, rather than providing it to DRAM. The lens distortion correction function operates from the image data in the circular buffer. By operating from the SRAM circular buffer, access to the DRAM for the highly fragmented backmapping image data read operations is removed, improving available DRAM bandwidth. By using a circular buffer, less space is needed in the SRAM. The improved memory operations further improve the image processing pipeline delays.

Abstract: In the disclosure, the microprocessor resolves the conflicts in decode stage and schedules the instruction to be executed at a future time. The instruction is issued to an execution queue until the scheduled time in the future when it is dispatched to a functional unit for execution. The disclosure uses a counter for the functional unit to track when the resource is available in the future to accept the next instruction. The disclosure also tracks the future N cycles when the register file read and write ports are scheduled to read and write operand data.

Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to methods to generate a packed result array using parallel vector processing, of an input array and a comparison operation. In one aspect, an additive scan operation can be used to generate memory offsets for each successful comparison operation of the input array and to generate a count of the number of data elements satisfying the comparison operation. In another aspect, the input array can be segmented to allow more efficient processing using the vector registers. In another aspect, a vector processing system is disclosed that is operable to receive a data array, a comparison operation, and threshold criteria, and output a packed array, at a specified memory address, comprising of the data elements satisfying the comparison operation.

Abstract: A fusion opportunity is detected for a sequence of instructions. The sequence of instructions include an indication of an affiliated location and an indication of an affiliated derived location. Based on the detecting, a value to be stored in the affiliated derived location is generated. The value is a predicted value. The value is stored in the affiliated derived location, and the affiliated derived location is accessed to use the value by one or more instructions executing within the computing environment.

Abstract: A value to be used in register-indirect branching is predicted and concurrently stored in a selected location accessible to one or more instructions. The value may be a target address used by an indirect branch and the selected location may be a hardware register, providing concurrent prediction of branch addresses and the update of register contents.

Abstract: An apparatus and method system and method for increasing performance in a processor or other instruction execution device while minimizing energy consumption. A processor includes a first execution pipeline and a second execution pipeline. The first execution pipeline includes a first decode unit and a first execution control unit coupled to the first decode unit. The first execution control unit is configured to control execution of all instructions executable by the processor. The second execution pipeline includes a second decode unit, and a second execution control unit coupled to the second decode unit. The second execution control unit is configured to control execution of a subset of the instructions executable via the first execution control unit.

Abstract: Examples of techniques for store hit multiple load side register for operand store compare are described herein. An aspect includes, based on detecting a store hit multiple load condition in the processor, updating a register of the processor to hold information corresponding to a first store instruction that triggered the detected store hit multiple load condition. Another aspect includes, based on issuing a second store instruction in the processor, determining whether the second store instruction corresponds to the information in the register. Another aspect includes, based on determining that the second store instruction corresponds to the information in the register, tagging the second store instruction with an operand store compare mark.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a multi-CPU system, where the multi-CPU system includes: at least two Quick-Path Interconnect QPI domains, a first node controller NC group, and a second node controller NC group; according to a CPU route configuration, there is at least one CPU that can access a CPU in another QPI domain by using the first NC group; and there is at least one CPU that can access a CPU in another QPI domain by using the second NC group. According to this topology, hot swap of an NC can be implemented while the system is relatively slightly affected.

Abstract: Providing express memory obsolescence in processor-based devices is disclosed. In this regard, an instruction set architecture (ISA) of a processor-based device provides a memory load instruction indicating a final memory load operation from a memory address (i.e., after the memory load operation represented by the memory load instruction is performed, the value at the memory address need not be maintained). Upon receiving the memory load instruction by an execution pipeline of the processor-based device, an entry corresponding to the memory address of the memory load instruction is located in an intermediate memory external to the system memory of the processor-based device, and used to perform the final memory load operation. After the final memory load operation is performed using the entry, a value of an obsolete indicator for the entry is set to indicate that the entry can be reused prior to its contents being written to the system memory.

Abstract: A computer system, processor, and method for processing information is disclosed that includes at least one processor having a main register file, the main register file having a plurality of entries for storing data; one or more execution units including a dense math execution unit; and at least one accumulator register file, the at least one accumulator register file associated with the dense math execution unit. The processor in an embodiment is configured to process data in the dense math execution unit where the results of the dense math execution unit are written to a first group of one or more accumulator register file entries, and after a checkpoint boundary is crossed based upon, for example, the number “N” of instructions dispatched after the start of the checkpoint, the results of the dense math execution unit are written to a second group of one or more accumulator register file entries.