Abstract: A system and method for performing intersection testing of rays in a ray tracing system. The ray tracing system uses a hierarchical acceleration structure comprising a plurality of nodes, each identifying one or more elements able to be intersected by a ray. The system makes use of a serial-mode ray intersection process, in which, when a ray intersects a bounding volume, a limited number of new ray requests are generated.

Abstract: A system and method for performing intersection testing of rays in a ray tracing system. The ray tracing system uses a hierarchical acceleration structure comprising a plurality of nodes, each identifying one or more elements for intersection testing. The system defines and updates progress information that identifies, for a ray, leaf nodes of the hierarchical acceleration structure which identify elements for which it is not yet known whether or not the ray interests.

Abstract: Ray tracing systems and methods are described for processing rays. A parent shader is executed for a ray. The parent shader includes a shader recursion instruction which invokes a child shader. The execution of the parent shader for the ray is suspended. Intermediate data for the parent shader is stored in a heap of memory, wherein the intermediate data comprises state data and payload data. Storing intermediate data comprises allocating a first set of registers in the heap of memory for storing payload data, and allocating a second set of registers in the heap of memory for storing state data. When the parent shader is ready to resume, intermediate data for the parent shader is read from the heap of memory, and the execution of the parent shader for the ray is resumed.

Abstract: Shader processing units for a graphics processing unit that are configured to execute one or more ray tracing shaders that process ray data associated with one or more rays. The ray data for a ray includes a plurality of ray data elements. The shader processing unit comprises storage, and load logic. The load logic is configured to receive, as part of a ray tracing shader, a ray load instruction that comprises: (i) information identifying a load group of a plurality of load groups, each load group of the plurality of load groups comprising one or more ray data elements of the plurality of ray data elements, and (ii) information identifying one or more ray data elements of the identified load group to be retrieved from an external unit. In response to the ray load instruction, the load logic sends one or more load requests to the external unit which cause the external unit to retrieve the identified ray data elements of the identified load group for one or more rays.

Abstract: A method of managing resources in a GPU comprises allocating a region of off-chip storage to a geometry task on creation of the geometry task and receiving, at an on-chip store in the GPU, a memory allocation request for the geometry task from a shader core in the GPU, wherein the memory allocation request is received after generation of geometry data for the geometry task. In response to receiving the memory allocation request, the method comprises determining, by the on-chip store, whether to allocate a region of the on-chip store to the geometry task. In response to allocating the region of the on-chip store, geometry data for the geometry task is written to the on-chip store and in response to determining not to allocate the region of the on-chip store, the geometry data is written to the allocated region of off-chip storage.

Abstract: Hardware logic for implementing a convolutional neural network (CNN) is configured to receive input data values to be processed in a layer of the CNN. Addresses in banked memory of a buffer in which the received input data values are to be stored are determined based upon format data indicating a format parameter of the input data in the layer and indicating a format parameter of a filter which is to be used to process the input data in the layer, wherein the format parameter of the filter comprises a stride. The received input data values are then stored at the determined addresses in the buffer for retrieval for processing in the layer.

Abstract: Shader processing units for a graphics processing unit execute ray tracing shaders that generate ray data associated with rays. The ray data includes a plurality of ray data elements. Store logic receives, as part of a ray tracing shader, a ray store instruction that includes: (i) information identifying a store group of a plurality of store groups, each store group comprising one or more ray data elements of the plurality of ray data elements, and (ii) information identifying one or more ray data elements of the identified store group to be stored in an external unit. In response to receiving the ray store instruction, the store logic retrieves the identified ray data elements for one or more rays from the storage. The store logic then sends one or more store requests to an external unit which cause the external unit to store the identified ray data elements for the one or more rays.

Abstract: A ray tracing unit and method for processing a ray in a ray tracing system performs intersection testing for the ray by performing one or more intersection testing iterations. Each intersection testing iteration includes: (i) traversing an acceleration structure to identify the nearest intersection of the ray with a primitive that has not been identified as the nearest intersection in any previous intersection testing iterations for the ray; and (ii) if, based on a characteristic of the primitive, a traverse shader is to be executed in respect of the identified intersection: executing the traverse shader in respect of the identified intersection; and if the execution of the traverse shader determines that the ray does not intersect the primitive at the identified intersection, causing another intersection testing iteration to be performed. When the intersection testing for the ray is complete, an output shader is executed to process a result of the intersection testing for the ray.

Abstract: Input data for a convolutional neural network (CNN) is stored in a buffer comprising a plurality of banks, by receiving input data comprising input data values to be processed in the CNN, determining addresses in the buffer in which the received input data values are to be stored, keeping a cursor for one or more salient positions to reduce arithmetic performed to determine the addresses in the buffer in which the received input data values are to be stored, and storing the received input data values at the determined addresses in the buffer.

Abstract: A method for providing input data for a layer of a convolutional neural network (CNN). Input data is received comprising input data values to be processed in a layer of the CNN. Addresses in banked memory of a buffer are determined in which the received data values are to be stored based upon format data indicating a format parameter of the input data in the layer and indicating a format parameter of a filter which is to be used to process the input data in the layer. The received input data values are stored at the determined addresses in the buffer for retrieval for processing in the layer.

Abstract: Shader processing units for a graphics processing unit that are configured to execute one or more ray tracing shaders that generate ray data associated with one or more rays. The ray data for a ray includes a plurality of ray data elements. The shader processing unit comprises local storage, and store logic. The store logic is configured to receive, as part of a ray tracing shader, a ray store instruction that comprises: (i) information identifying a store group of a plurality of store groups, each store group of the plurality of store groups comprising one or more ray data elements of the plurality of ray data elements, and (ii) information identifying one or more ray data elements of the identified store group to be stored in an external unit). In response to receiving the ray store instruction, the store logic retrieves the identified ray data elements for one or more rays from the storage.

Abstract: A ray tracing unit and method for processing a ray in a ray tracing system performs intersection testing for the ray by performing one or more intersection testing iterations. Each intersection testing iteration includes: (i) traversing an acceleration structure to identify the nearest intersection of the ray with a primitive that has not been identified as the nearest intersection in any previous intersection testing iterations for the ray; and (ii) if, based on a characteristic of the primitive, a traverse shader is to be executed in respect of the identified intersection: executing the traverse shader in respect of the identified intersection; and if the execution of the traverse shader determines that the ray does not intersect the primitive at the identified intersection, causing another intersection testing iteration to be performed. When the intersection testing for the ray is complete, an output shader is executed to process a result of the intersection testing for the ray.

Abstract: A system and method for performing intersection testing of rays in a ray tracing system. The ray tracing system uses a hierarchical acceleration structure comprising a plurality of nodes, each identifying one or more elements for intersection testing. The system defines and updates progress information that identifies, for a ray, leaf nodes of the hierarchical acceleration structure which identify elements for which it is not yet known whether or not the ray interests.

Abstract: A system and method for performing intersection testing of rays in a ray tracing system. The ray tracing system uses a hierarchical acceleration structure comprising a plurality of nodes, each identifying one or more elements able to be intersected by a ray. The system makes use of a serial-mode ray intersection process, in which, when a ray intersects a bounding volume, a limited number of new ray requests are generated.

Abstract: A system and method for performing intersection testing of rays in a ray tracing system. The ray tracing system uses a hierarchical acceleration structure comprising a plurality of nodes, each identifying one or more elements for intersection testing. The system defines and updates progress information that identifies, for a ray, leaf nodes of the hierarchical acceleration structure which identify elements for which it is not yet known whether or not the ray interests.

Abstract: Hardware implementations of, and methods for processing, a convolution layer of a DNN that comprise a plurality of convolution engines wherein the input data and weights are provided to the convolution engines in an order that allows input data and weights read from memory to be used in at least two filter-window calculations performed either by the same convolution engine in successive cycles or by different convolution engines in the same cycle. For example, in some hardware implementations of a convolution layer the convolution engines are configured to process the same weights but different input data each cycle, but the input data for each convolution engine remains the same for at least two cycles so that the convolution engines use the same input data in at least two consecutive cycles.

Abstract: A system and method for performing intersection testing of rays in a ray tracing system. The ray tracing system uses a hierarchical acceleration structure comprising a plurality of nodes, each identifying one or more elements able to be intersected by a ray. The system makes use of a serial-mode ray intersection process, in which, when a ray intersects a bounding volume, a limited number of new ray requests are generated.

Abstract: A system and method for performing intersection testing of rays in a ray tracing system. The ray tracing system uses a hierarchical acceleration structure comprising a plurality of nodes, each identifying one or more elements able to be intersected by a ray. The system makes use of a serial-mode ray intersection process, in which, when a ray intersects a bounding volume, a limited number of new ray requests are generated.

Abstract: Shader processing units for a graphics processing unit that are configured to execute one or more ray tracing shaders that generate ray data associated with one or more rays. The ray data for a ray includes a plurality of ray data elements. The shader processing unit comprises local storage, and store logic. The store logic is configured to receive, as part of a ray tracing shader, a ray store instruction that comprises: (i) information identifying a store group of a plurality of store groups, each store group of the plurality of store groups comprising one or more ray data elements of the plurality of ray data elements, and (ii) information identifying one or more ray data elements of the identified store group to be stored in an external unit). In response to receiving the ray store instruction, the store logic retrieves the identified ray data elements for one or more rays from the storage.

Abstract: Shader processing units for a graphics processing unit that are configured to execute one or more ray tracing shaders that process ray data associated with one or more rays. The ray data for a ray includes a plurality of ray data elements. The shader processing unit comprises storage, and load logic. The load logic is configured to receive, as part of a ray tracing shader, a ray load instruction that comprises: (i) information identifying a load group of a plurality of load groups, each load group of the plurality of load groups comprising one or more ray data elements of the plurality of ray data elements, and (ii) information identifying one or more ray data elements of the identified load group to be retrieved from an external unit. In response to the ray load instruction, the load logic sends one or more load requests to the external unit which cause the external unit to retrieve the identified ray data elements of the identified load group for one or more rays.