Abstract: A graphics processing unit (GPU) may determine a workload of a fragment shader program that executes on the GPU. The GPU may compare the workload of the fragment shader program to a threshold. In response to determining that the workload of the fragment shader program is lower than a specified threshold, the fragment shader program may process one or more fragments without the GPU performing early depth testing of the one or more fragments before the processing by the fragment shader program. The GPU may perform, after processing by the fragment shader program, late depth testing of the one or more fragments to result in one or more non-occluded fragments. The GPU may write pixel values for the one or more non-occluded fragments into a frame buffer.

Abstract: A computing device may allocate a plurality of blocks in the memory, wherein each of the plurality of blocks is of a uniform fixed size in the memory. The computing device may further store a plurality of bandwidth-compressed graphics data into the respective plurality of blocks in the memory, wherein one or more of the plurality of bandwidth-compressed graphics data each has a size that is smaller than the fixed size. The computing device may further store data associated with the plurality of bandwidth-compressed graphics data into unused space of one or more of the plurality of blocks that contains the respective one or more of the plurality of bandwidth-compressed graphics data.

Abstract: In an example, a method for rendering graphics data includes rendering pixels of a first bin of a plurality of bins, wherein the pixels of the first bin are associated with a first portion of an image, and rendering, to the first bin, one or more pixels that are located outside the first portion of the image and associated with a second, different bin of the plurality of bins. The method also includes rendering the one or more pixels associated with the second bin to the second bin, such that the one or more pixels are rendered to both the first bin and the second bin.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides for systems and methods to process a non-resident page that may include attempting to access the non-resident page, an address for the non-resident page pointing to a memory page containing default values, determining that the non-resident page should not cause a page fault based on an indicator indicating that a particular non-resident page should not generate a page fault, returning an indication that a memory read did not translate and returning the default value when the access of the non-resident page is a read and the non-resident page should not cause a page fault. Another example may discontinue a write when the access of the non-resident page is a write and the non-resident page should not cause a page fault.

Abstract: This disclosure describes techniques for using bounding regions to perform tile-based rendering with a graphics processing unit (GPU) that supports an on-chip, tessellation-enabled graphics rendering pipeline. Instead of generating binning data based on rasterized versions of the actual primitives to be rendered, the techniques of this disclosure may generate binning data based on a bounding region that encompasses one or more of the primitives to be rendered. Moreover, the binning data may be generated based on data that is generated by at least one tessellation processing stage of an on-chip, tessellation-enabled graphics rendering pipeline that is implemented by the GPU. The techniques of this disclosure may, in some examples, be used to improve the performance of an on-chip, tessellation-enabled GPU when performing tile-based rendering without sacrificing the quality of the resulting rendered image.

Abstract: Aspects of this disclosure generally relate to a process for rendering graphics that includes performing, with a hardware shading unit of a graphics processing unit (GPU) designated for vertex shading, vertex shading operations to shade input vertices so as to output vertex shaded vertices, wherein the hardware unit is configured to receive a single vertex as an input and generate a single vertex as an output. The process also includes performing, with the hardware shading unit of the GPU, a geometry shading operation to generate one or more new vertices based on one or more of the vertex shaded vertices, wherein the geometry shading operation operates on at least one of the one or more vertex shaded vertices to output the one or more new vertices.

Abstract: This disclosure describes techniques for processing unaligned block transfer (BLT) commands. The techniques of this disclosure may involve converting an unaligned BLT command into multiple aligned BLT commands, where the multiple aligned BLT commands may collectively produce the same resulting memory state as that which would have been produced by the unaligned BLT command. The techniques of this disclosure may allow the benefits of relatively low-power GPU-accelerated BLT processing may be achieved for unaligned BLT commands without requiring a CPU to pre-process and/or post-process the underlying unaligned surfaces. In this way, the performance and/or power consumption associated with processing unaligned BLT commands in an alignment-constrained GPU-based system may be improved.

Abstract: This disclosure describes an apparatus configured to process graphics data. The apparatus may include a fixed hardware pipeline configured to execute one or more functions on a current set of graphics data. The fixed hardware pipeline may include a plurality of stages including a bypassable portion of the plurality of stages. The apparatus may further include a shortcut circuit configured to route the current set of graphics data around the bypassable portion of the plurality of stages, and a controller positioned before the bypassable portion of the plurality of stages, the controller configured to selectively route the current set of graphics data to one of the shortcut circuit or the bypassable portion of the plurality of stages.

Abstract: This disclosure describes techniques for performing hierarchical z-culling in a graphics processing system. In some examples, the techniques for performing hierarchical z-culling may involve selectively merging partially-covered source tiles for a tile location into a fully-covered merged source tile based on whether conservative farthest z-values for the partially-covered source tiles are nearer than a culling z-value for the tile location, and using a conservative farthest z-value associated with the fully-covered merged source tile to update the culling z-value for the tile location. In further examples, the techniques for performing hierarchical z-culling may use a cache unit that is not associated with an underlying memory to store conservative farthest z-values and coverage masks for merged source tiles. The capacity of the cache unit may be smaller than the size of cache needed to store merged source tile data for all of the tile locations in a render target.

Abstract: A graphics processing unit (GPU) includes an indexed streamout buffer. The indexed streamout buffer is configured to: receive vertex data of a primitive, and determine if any entries in a reuse table of the indexed streamout buffer reference the vertex data. Responsive to determining that an entry of in the reuse table references the vertex data, the buffer is further configured to: generate an index that references the vertex data, store the index in the buffer, and store a reference to the index in the reuse table. Responsive to determining that an entry does not reference the vertex data, the indexed streamout buffer is configured to: store the vertex data in the buffer, generate an index that references the vertex data, store the index in the buffer, and store a reference to the index in the reuse table.

Abstract: Techniques are described in which an indication is included to indicate a last use of an intermediate value generated as part of determining a final value is not be stored in a general purpose register (GPR). A processing unit avoids storing the intermediate value in the GPR based on the indication because the intermediate value is no longer needed for determining the final value.

Abstract: At least one processor may emulate a fused multiply-add operation for a first operand, a second operand, and a third operand. The at least one processor may determine an intermediate value based at least in part on multiplying the first operand with the second operand, determine at least one of an upper intermediate value or a lower intermediate value, wherein determining the upper intermediate value comprises rounding, towards zero, the intermediate value by a specified number of bits, and wherein determining the lower intermediate value comprises subtracting the intermediate value by the upper intermediate value, determine an upper value and a lower value based at least in part on adding or subtracting the third operand to one of the upper intermediate value or the lower intermediate value, and determine an emulated fused multiply-add result by adding the upper value and the lower value.

Abstract: The aspects include systems and methods of managing virtual memory page shareability. A processor or memory management unit may set in a page table an indication that a virtual memory page is not shareable with an outer domain processor. The processor or memory management unit may monitor for when the outer domain processor attempts or has attempted to access the virtual memory page. In response to the outer domain processor attempting to access the virtual memory page, the processor may perform a virtual memory page operation on the virtual memory page.

Abstract: At least one processor may receive components of a vector, wherein each of the components of the vector comprises at least an exponent. The at least one processor may further determine a maximum exponent out of respective exponents of the components of the vector, and may determine a scaling value based at least in part on the maximum exponent. An arithmetic logic unit of the at least one processor may scale the vector, by subtracting the scaling value from each of the respective exponents of the components of the vector.

Abstract: This disclosure presents techniques and structures for preemption at arbitrary control points in graphics processing. A method of graphics processing may comprise executing commands in a command buffer, the commands operating on data in a read-modify-write memory resource, double buffering the data in the read-modify-write memory resource, such that a first buffer stores original data of the read-modify-write memory resource and a second buffer stores any modified data produced by executing the commands in the command buffer, receiving a request to preempt execution of the commands in the command buffer before completing all commands in the command buffer, and restarting execution of the commands at the start of the command buffer using the original data in the first buffer.

Abstract: In an example, a method for rendering graphics data includes rendering pixels of a first bin of a plurality of bins, wherein the pixels of the first bin are associated with a first portion of an image, and rendering, to the first bin, one or more pixels that are located outside the first portion of the image and associated with a second, different bin of the plurality of bins. The method also includes rendering the one or more pixels associated with the second bin to the second bin, such that the one or more pixels are rendered to both the first bin and the second bin.

Abstract: Techniques are described for determining whether data of a variable for each of a plurality of graphics items is same. If determined that the data is the same, the techniques store the data in a storage location of a specialized shared general purpose register that is associated with the variable.

Abstract: A method includes storing, with a first programmable processor, shared variable data to cache lines of a first cache of the first processor. The method further includes executing, with the first programmable processor, a store-with-release operation, executing, with a second programmable processor, a load-with-acquire operation, and loading, with the second programmable processor, the value of the shared variable data from a cache of the second programmable processor.

Abstract: In one example, a method includes responsive to receiving, by a processing unit, one or more instructions requesting that a first value be moved from a first general purpose register (GPR) to a third GPR and that a second value be moved from a second GPR to a fourth GPR, copying, by an initial logic unit and during a first clock cycle, the first value to an initial pipeline register, copying, by the initial logic and during a second clock cycle, the second value to the initial pipeline register, copying, by a final logic unit and during a third clock cycle, the first value from a final pipeline register to the third GPR, and copying, by the final logic unit and during a fourth clock cycle, the second value from the final pipeline register to the fourth GPR.

Abstract: A SIMD processor may be configured to determine one or more active threads from a plurality of threads, select one active thread from the one or more active threads, and perform a divergent operation on the selected active thread. The divergent operation may be a serial operation.