Abstract: There is provided a method for controlling fetch-ahead of Fetch Sets into a decoupling First In First Out (FIFO) buffer of a Variable Length Execution Set (VLES) processor architecture, wherein a Fetch Set comprises at least a portion of a VLES group available for dispatch to processing resources within the VLES processor architecture, comprising, for each cycle, determining a number of VLES groups available for dispatch from previously pre-fetched Fetch Sets, and only requesting a fetch-ahead of a next Fetch Set in the next cycle if one of a select set of criteria related to the number of VLES groups available for dispatch is true.

Abstract: There is provided a method for controlling fetch-ahead of Fetch Sets into a decoupling First In First Out (FIFO) buffer of a Variable Length Execution Set (VLES) processor architecture, wherein a Fetch Set comprises at least a portion of a VLES group available for dispatch to processing resources within the VLES processor architecture, comprising, for each cycle, determining a number of VLES groups available for dispatch from previously pre-fetched Fetch Sets, and only requesting a fetch-ahead of a next Fetch Set in the next cycle if one of a select set of criteria related to the number of VLES groups available for dispatch is true.

Abstract: A device and method for performing SISO decoding. The method comprising the steps of: (a) providing a trellis representative of an output of a convolutional encoder, the convolutional encoder has a coding rate of R, the trellis having a block length T. (b) assigning an initial conditions to each starting node of the trellis for a forward iteration through the trellis. (c) computing a forward metric for each node, starting from the start of the trellis and advancing forward through the trellis and storing forward metrics of nodes of a plurality of starting stages of windows. (d) repeating stages d(1)-d(3) until all lambdas of the trellis are calculated; d(1) retrieving forward metrics of nodes of a starting stage of a window, the retrieved forward metrics were computed and stored during step (c). d(2) computing and storing forward metrics for each node, starting from a second stage of the window and ending at the ending stage of the window.

Abstract: A method and a device for performing stack operations within a processing system. A first and second stack pointers point to a top of a stack and to a memory location following the top of the stack. A first stack pointer is used during pop operations and a second stack pointer is used during push operations. When a stack pointer is selected, it replaces the other stack pointer. The selected memory pointer is provided to a memory module in which a stack is implemented, and is also updated. When a pop operation is executed the updated stack pointer points to a memory location preceding a memory location pointed by the selected stack pointer and when a push operation is executed the updated stack pointer points to a memory address following that address.

Abstract: A power saving device and method for either adding or subtracting a constant from an operand, by checking a logic value of a portion of the operand and deciding whether to activate a multi-bit adder or to perform the subtraction or addition by inverting a portion of the operand. The power saving device and method is especially efficient when the constant K equals 2n. Then, the n'th bit of the operand is checked and if the addition or subtraction operation can be performed by inverting the n'th bit of the operand, a result is generated by that inversion, while a multi-bit adder is disabled.

Abstract: A device and method for performing SISO decoding. The method comprising the steps of: (a) providing a trellis representative of an output of a convolutional encoder, the convolutional encoder has a coding rate of R, the trellis having a block length T. (b) assigning an initial conditions to each starting node of the trellis for a forward iteration through the trellis. (c) computing a forward metric for each node, starting from the start of the trellis and advancing forward through the trellis and storing forward metrics of nodes of a plurality of starting stages of windows. (d) repeating stages d(1)-d(3) until all lambdas of the trellis are calculated; d(1) retrieving forward metrics of nodes of a starting stage of a window, the retrieved forward metrics were computed and stored during step (c). d(2) computing and storing forward metrics for each node, starting from a second stage of the window and ending at the ending stage of the window.