Abstract: Methods of rendering a scene in a graphics system identify a draw call within a current render and analyse the last shader in the series of shaders used by the draw call to identify any buffers that are sampled by the last shader and that are to be written by a previous render that has not yet been sent for execution on the GPU. If any such buffers are identified, further analysis is performed to determine whether the last shader samples from the identified buffers using screen space coordinates that correspond to a current fragment location and if this determination is positive, the draw call is added to data relating to the previous render and the last shader is recompiled to replace an instruction that reads data from an identified buffer with an instruction that reads data from an on-chip register.

Abstract: Methods of rendering a scene in a graphics system identify a draw call within a current render and analyse the last shader in the series of shaders used by the draw call to identify any buffers that are sampled by the last shader and that are to be written by a previous render that has not yet been sent for execution on the GPU. If any such buffers are identified, further analysis is performed to determine whether the last shader samples from the identified buffers using screen space coordinates that correspond to a current fragment location and if this determination is positive, the draw call is added to data relating to the previous render and the last shader is recompiled to replace an instruction that reads data from an identified buffer with an instruction that reads data from an on-chip register.

Abstract: A method and graphics processing unit (GPU) are provided for applying texture processing to a block of fragments, each of the fragments being associated with a texture coordinate for each of a plurality of dimensions of a texture. A fragment processing unit of the GPU detects that the texture coordinates for the fragments of the block are axis-aligned, and in response to detecting that the texture coordinates for the fragments of the block are axis-aligned, sends a reduced set of texture coordinates to a texture processing unit of the GPU. The texture processing unit: (i) processes the reduced set of texture coordinates to generate texel addresses of texels to be fetched, (ii) fetches texels using the generated texel addresses, (iii) determines a processed value for each of the fragments of the block based on the fetched texels, and (iv) outputs the processed values.

Abstract: A method and processor for retrieving a block of data items in a processor, each of the data items being associated with a coordinate for each dimension of a stored data array. A data processing unit detects that the coordinates associated with the data items are axis-aligned. A data load unit: (i) determines integer coordinates for each of a set of the coordinates, (ii) performs a uniquification process on the determined integer coordinates to remove duplicated integer coordinates and to determine a subset of the determined integer coordinates, (iii) uses the subset of the determined integer coordinates to generate addresses of data array elements to be fetched from the stored data array, (iv) fetches data array elements from the stored data array using the generated addresses, (v) for each of the data items of the block, determines a data item value using a sub-group of the fetched data array elements, and (vi) outputs the data item values.

Abstract: A method and processor for retrieving a block of data items, each being associated with a coordinate for each of dimensions of a stored data array. A data processing unit detects that the coordinates are axis-aligned. In response to detecting that the coordinates are axis-aligned, the following are sent to a data load unit: only one coordinate for a first dimension for each line of data items aligned in the first dimension within the block, and only one coordinate for a second dimension for each line of data items aligned in the second dimension within the block, the second dimension being orthogonal to the first dimension. The data load unit: (i) processes the coordinates to generate addresses of data array elements to be fetched from the stored data array, (ii) fetches data array elements using the generated addresses, (iii) determines data item values based on the fetched data array elements, and (iv) outputs the data item values.

Abstract: A method and graphics processing unit (GPU) are provided for applying texture filtering to a block of fragments, each of the fragments being associated with a texture coordinate for each of a plurality of dimensions of a texture. It is detected that the texture coordinates for the fragments of the block are axis-aligned. Two or more integer texel coordinates are determined for each of a set of the texture coordinates. A uniquification process is performed on the determined integer texel coordinates to remove one or more duplicated integer texel coordinates and to thereby determine a subset of the determined integer texel coordinates. The subset of the determined integer texel coordinates is used to generate texel addresses of texels to be fetched. Texels are fetched using the generated texel addresses. For each of the fragments of the block, a filtered value is determined by applying filtering to a sub-group of the fetched texels. The filtered values are output.

Abstract: Techniques are disclosed relating to cache footprint management. In some embodiments, execution circuitry is configured to perform operations for instructions from multiple threads in parallel. Cache circuitry may store information operated on by threads executed by the execution circuitry. Scheduling circuitry may arbitrate among threads to schedule threads for execution by the execution circuitry. Tracking circuitry may determine one or more performance metrics for the cache circuitry. Control circuitry may, based on the one or more performance metrics meeting a threshold, reduce a limit on a number of threads considered for arbitration by the scheduling circuitry, to control a footprint of information stored by the cache circuitry. Disclosed techniques may advantageously reduce or avoid cache thrashing for certain processor workloads.

Abstract: Methods of rendering a scene in a graphics system identify a draw call within a current render and analyse the last shader in the series of shaders used by the draw call to identify any buffers that are sampled by the last shader and that are to be written by a previous render that has not yet been sent for execution on the GPU. If any such buffers are identified, further analysis is performed to determine whether the last shader samples from the identified buffers using screen space coordinates that correspond to a current fragment location and if this determination is positive, the draw call is added to data relating to the previous render and the last shader is recompiled to replace an instruction that reads data from an identified buffer with an instruction that reads data from an on-chip register.

Abstract: Methods of rendering a scene in a graphics system identify a draw call within a current render and analyse the last shader in the series of shaders used by the draw call to identify any buffers that are sampled by the last shader and that are to be written by a previous render that has not yet been sent for execution on the GPU. If any such buffers are identified, further analysis is performed to determine whether the last shader samples from the identified buffers using screen space coordinates that correspond to a current fragment location and if this determination is positive, the draw call is added to data relating to the previous render and the last shader is recompiled to replace an instruction that reads data from an identified buffer with an instruction that reads data from an on-chip register.

Abstract: Methods of rendering a scene in a graphics system identify a draw call within a current render and analyse the last shader in the series of shaders used by the draw call to identify any buffers that are sampled by the last shader and that are to be written by a previous render that has not yet been sent for execution on the GPU. If any such buffers are identified, further analysis is performed to determine whether the last shader samples from the identified buffers using screen space coordinates that correspond to a current fragment location and if this determination is positive, the draw call is added to data relating to the previous render and the last shader is recompiled to replace an instruction that reads data from an identified buffer with an instruction that reads data from an on-chip register.

Abstract: Methods of rendering a scene in a graphics system identify a draw call within a current render and analyse the last shader in the series of shaders used by the draw call to identify any buffers that are sampled by the last shader and that are to be written by a previous render that has not yet been sent for execution on the GPU. If any such buffers are identified, further analysis is performed to determine whether the last shader samples from the identified buffers using screen space coordinates that correspond to a current fragment location and if this determination is positive, the draw call is added to data relating to the previous render and the last shader is recompiled to replace an instruction that reads data from an identified buffer with an instruction that reads data from an on-chip register.