Abstract: A sheet generator circuit is described. The sheet generator includes electronic circuitry to receive a line group of image data including multiple rows of data from a frame of image data. The multiple rows are sufficient in number to encompass multiple neighboring overlapping stencils. The electronic circuitry is to parse the line group into a smaller sized sheet. The electronic circuitry is to load the sheet into a data computation unit having a two dimensional shift array structure coupled to an array of processors.

Abstract: An apparatus that includes a program controller to fetch and issue instructions. The apparatus includes an execution lane having at least one execution unit to execute the instructions. The execution lane is part of an execution lane array that is coupled to a two dimensional shift register array structure, wherein, execution lane s of the execution lane array are located at respective array locations and are coupled to dedicated registers at same respective array locations in the two-dimensional shift register array.

Abstract: In a general aspect, an apparatus can include image processing logic (IPL) configured to perform an image processing operation on pixel data corresponding with an image having a width of W pixels and a height of H pixels to produce output pixel data in vertical slices of K pixels using K vertically overlapping stencils of S×S pixels, K being greater than 1 and less than H, S being greater than or equal to 2, and W being greater than S. The apparatus can also include a linebuffer operationally coupled with the IPL, the linebuffer configured to buffer the pixel data for the IPL. The linebuffer can include a full-size buffer having a width of W and a height of (S?1). The linebuffer can also include a sliding buffer having a width of SB and a height of K, SB being greater than or equal to S and less than W.

Abstract: A method is described that includes instantiating, within an application software development environment, a virtual processor having an instruction set architecture and memory model that contemplate first and second regions of reserved memory. The first reserved region is to keep data of an input image array. The second reserved region is to keep data of an output image array. The method also includes simulating execution of a memory load instruction of the instruction set architecture by automatically targeting the first reserved region and identifying desired input data with first and second coordinates relative to the virtual processor's position within an orthogonal coordinate system and expressed in the instruction format of the memory load instruction.

Abstract: A method is described. The method includes repeatedly loading a next sheet of image data from a first location of a memory into a two dimensional shift register array. The memory is locally coupled to the two-dimensional shift register array and an execution lane array having a smaller dimension than the two-dimensional shift register array along at least one array axis. The loaded next sheet of image data keeps within an image area of the two-dimensional shift register array. The method also includes repeatedly determining output values for the next sheet of image data through execution of program code instructions along respective lanes of the execution lane array, wherein, a stencil size used in determining the output values encompasses only pixels that reside within the two-dimensional shift register array.

Abstract: An apparatus is described that includes an execution unit having a multiply add computation unit, a first ALU logic unit and a second ALU logic unit. The ALU unit is to perform first, second, third and fourth instructions. The first instruction is a multiply add instruction. The second instruction is to perform parallel ALU operations with the first and second ALU logic units operating simultaneously to produce different respective output resultants of the second instruction. The third instruction is to perform sequential ALU operations with one of the ALU logic units operating from an output of the other of the ALU logic units to determine an output resultant of the third instruction. The fourth instruction is to perform an iterative divide operation in which the first ALU logic unit and the second ALU logic unit operate during to determine first and second division resultant digit values.

Abstract: A method is described that includes translating higher level program code including higher level instructions having an instruction format that identifies pixels to be accessed from a memory with first and second coordinates from an orthogonal coordinate system into lower level instructions that target a hardware architecture having an array of execution lanes and a shift register array structure that is able to shift data along two different axis. The translating includes replacing the higher level instructions having the instruction format with lower level shift instructions that shift data within the shift register array structure.

Abstract: A method is described. The method includes configuring a first instance of object code to execute on a processor. The processor has multiple cores and an internal network. The internal network is configured in a first configuration that enables a first number of the cores to be communicatively coupled. The method also includes configuring a second instance of the object code to execute on a second instance of the processor. A respective internal network of the second instance of the processor is configured in a second configuration that enables a different number of cores to be communicatively coupled, wherein, same positioned cores on the processor and the second instance of the processor have same network addresses for the first and second configurations. A processor is also described having an internal network designed to enable the above method.

Abstract: A method is described. The method includes constructing an image processing software data flow in which a buffer stores and forwards image data being transferred from a producing kernel to one or more consuming kernels. The method also includes recognizing that the buffer has insufficient resources to store and forward the image data. The method also includes modifying the image processing software data flow to include multiple buffers that store and forward the image data during the transfer of the image data from the producing kernel to the one or more consuming kernels.

Abstract: An execution unit is described. The execution unit includes an arithmetic logic unit (ALU) circuit having a first input to receive a first value and a second input to receive a second value. The ALU circuit includes circuitry to determine an absolute value of the first value and to add the absolute value to the second value. The first input is coupled to a first data path having register space and an output of another ALU of the execution unit circuit as alternative sources of the first value. The second input is coupled to a second data path having the register space as a source for the second value.

Abstract: A method is described. The method includes calculating data transfer metrics for kernel-to-kernel connections of a program having a plurality of kernels that is to execute on an image processor. The image processor includes a plurality of processing cores and a network connecting the plurality of processing cores. Each of the kernel-to-kernel connections include a producing kernel that is to execute on one of the processing cores and a consuming kernel that is to execute on another one of the processing cores. The consuming kernel is to operate on data generated by the producing kernel. The method also includes assigning kernels of the plurality of kernels to respective ones of the processing cores based on the calculated data transfer metrics.

Abstract: A processor is described. The processor includes a network. A plurality of processing cores are coupled to the network. The processor includes a transmitter circuit coupled to the network. The transmitter circuit is to transmit output data generated by one of the processing cores into the network. The transmitter circuit includes control logic circuitry to cause the transmitter circuit to send a request for transmission of a second packet of output data prior to completion of the transmitter circuit's transmission of an earlier first packet of output data.

Abstract: An image processor unit is described. The image processor unit includes a plurality of inputs to receive at least one input image. The image processor unit includes a plurality of outputs to provide at least one output image. The image processor unit includes a network coupled to the plurality of inputs and the plurality of outputs. The network is to couple at least one of the inputs to at least one of the outputs. The image processor unit includes an image processor circuit coupled to the network. The network to route an input image that is received at one of the inputs to the image processor circuit. The image processor circuit is to execute image signal processing program code to generate a processed output image from the input image. The network is to route the processed output image to at least one of the outputs.

Abstract: An image processor is described. The image processor includes a two dimensional shift register array that couples certain ones of its array locations to support execution of a shift instruction. The shift instruction is to include mask information. The mask information is to specify which of the array locations are to be written to with information being shifted. The two dimensional shift register array includes masking logic circuitry to write the information being shifted into specified ones of the array locations in accordance with the mask information.

Abstract: A method is described. The method includes simulating execution of an image processing application software program. The simulating includes intercepting kernel-to-kernel communications with simulated line buffer memories that store and forward lines of image data communicated from models of producing kernels to models of consuming kernels. The simulating further includes tracking respective amounts of image data stored in the respective line buffer memories over a simulation runtime. The method also includes determining respective hardware memory allocations for corresponding hardware line buffer memories from the tracked respective amounts of image data. The method also includes generating configuration information for an image processor to execute the image processing application software program. The configuration information describes the hardware memory allocations for the hardware line buffer memories of the image processor.

Abstract: A method is described that includes instantiating, within an application software development environment, a virtual processor having an instruction set architecture and memory model that contemplate first and second regions of reserved memory. The first reserved region is to keep data of an input image array. The second reserved region is to keep data of an output image array. The method also includes simulating execution of a memory load instruction of the instruction set architecture by automatically targeting the first reserved region and identifying desired input data with first and second coordinates relative to the virtual processor's position within an orthogonal coordinate system and expressed in the instruction format of the memory load instruction.

Abstract: A method is described that includes translating higher level program code including higher level instructions having an instruction format that identifies pixels to be accessed from a memory with first and second coordinates from an orthogonal coordinate system into lower level instructions that target a hardware architecture having an array of execution lanes and a shift register array structure that is able to shift data along two different axis. The translating includes replacing the higher level instructions having the instruction format with lower level shift instructions that shift data within the shift register array structure.

Abstract: A method is described that includes, on an image processor having a two dimensional execution lane array and a two dimensional shift register array, repeatedly shifting first content of multiple rows or columns of the two dimensional shift register array and repeatedly executing at least one instruction between shifts that operates on the shifted first content and/or second content that is resident in respective locations of the two dimensional shift register array that the shifted first content has been shifted into.

Abstract: A method is described that includes, on an image processor having a two dimensional execution lane array and a two dimensional shift register array, repeatedly shifting first content of multiple rows or columns of the two dimensional shift register array and repeatedly executing at least one instruction between shifts that operates on the shifted first content and/or second content that is resident in respective locations of the two dimensional shift register array that the shifted first content has been shifted into.

Abstract: A method is described that includes, on an image processor having a two dimensional execution lane array and a two dimensional shift register array, doubling a simultaneous shift amount of multiple rows or columns of the two dimensional shift register array with each next iteration. The method also includes executing one or more instructions within respective lanes of the two dimensional execution lane array in between shifts of iterations. Another method is described that includes, on an image processor having a two dimensional execution lane array and a two dimensional shift register array, repeatedly executing one or more instructions within respective lanes of the execution lane array that select between content in different registers of a same array location in between repeated simultaneous shifts of multiple rows or columns of data in the two dimensional shift register array.