Abstract: An apparatus to facilitate graphics rendering is disclosed. The apparatus comprises sequencer hardware to operate in a tile mode to render objects, including performing batch formation to generate one or more batches of received objects, performing tile sequencing for each of the objects to compute tile fill intersects for each of the objects and performing a play sequencing of each of the objects.

Abstract: As part of rendering a scene including at least one graphics object in a display space, the display space is divided into a plurality of tiles. A determination is made that contents of at least two of the plurality of tiles are no longer used after a current render pass. A write back memory address associated with a second tile is changed to match a write back memory address associated with a first tile. As a result, data is overwritten on a same physical page.

Abstract: A cache controller of a processing system implementing a non-uniform memory architecture (NUMA) adjusts a cache replacement priority of local and non-local data stored at a cache based on a cache replacement policy. Local data is data that is accessed by the cache via a local memory channel and non-local data is data that is accessed by the cache via a non-local memory channel. The cache controller assigns priorities to local and non-local data stored at the cache based on a cache replacement policy and selects data for replacement at the cache based, at least in part, on the assigned priorities.

Abstract: A processing system divides successive dispatches of work items into portions. The successive dispatches are separated from each other by barriers, each barrier indicating that the work items of the previous dispatch must complete execution before work items of a subsequent dispatch can begin execution. In some embodiments, the processing system interleaves execution of portions of a first dispatch with portions of subsequent dispatches that consume data produced by the first dispatch. The processing system thereby reduces the amount of data written to the local cache by a producer dispatch while preserving data locality for a subsequent consumer (or consumer/producer) dispatch and facilitating processing efficiency.

Abstract: A cache controller of a processing system implementing a non-uniform memory architecture (NUMA) adjusts a cache replacement priority of local and non-local data stored at a cache based on a cache replacement policy. Local data is data that is accessed by the cache via a local memory channel and non-local data is data that is accessed by the cache via a non-local memory channel. The cache controller assigns priorities to local and non-local data stored at the cache based on a cache replacement policy and selects data for replacement at the cache based, at least in part, on the assigned priorities.

Abstract: A processing unit includes traversal recursion circuitry that performs, on behalf of a software shader, at least some of the requisite actions for traversing selected types of nodes of the acceleration structure. In response to identifying a first node of a raytracing acceleration structure is of a first type, the processing unit provides an intersection result for the first node to recursion circuitry. In response to the intersection result for the first node, the processing unit performs a traversal operation for the raytracing acceleration structure at the recursion circuitry.

Abstract: A processing system selectively allocates storage at a local cache of a parallel processing unit for cache lines of a repeating pattern of data that exceeds the storage capacity of the cache. The processing system identifies repeating patterns of data having cache lines that have a reuse distance that exceeds the storage capacity of the cache. A cache controller allocates storage for only a subset of cache lines of the repeating pattern of data at the cache and excludes the remainder of cache lines of the repeating pattern of data from the cache. By restricting the cache to store only a subset of cache lines of the repeating pattern of data, the cache controller increases the hit rate at the cache for the subset of cache lines.

Abstract: Sampling circuitry independently accesses channels of texture data that represent a set of pixels. One or more processing units separately compress the channels of the texture data and store compressed data representative of the channels of the texture data for the set of pixels. The channels can include a red channel, a blue channel, and a green channel that represent color values of the set of pixels and an alpha channel that represents degrees of transparency of the set of pixels. Storing the compressed data can include writing the compress data to portions of a cache. The processing units can identify a subset of the set of pixels that share a value of a first channel of the plurality of channels and represent the value of the first channel over the subset of the set of pixels using information representing the value, the first channel, and boundaries of the subset.

Abstract: Systems, apparatuses, and methods for performing dead surface invalidation are disclosed. An application sends draw call commands to a graphics processing unit (GPU) via a driver, with the draw call commands rendering to surfaces. After it is determined that a given surface will no longer be accessed by subsequent draw calls, the application sends a surface invalidation command for the given surface to a command processor of the GPU. After the command processor receives the surface invalidation command, the command processor waits for a shader engine to send a draw call completion message for a last draw call to access the given surface. Once the command processor receives the draw call completion message, the command processor sends a surface invalidation command to a cache to invalidate cache lines for the given surface to free up space in the cache for other data.

Abstract: An apparatus to facilitate graphics rendering is disclosed. The apparatus comprises sequencer hardware to operate in a tile mode to render objects, including performing batch formation to generate one or more batches of received objects, performing tile sequencing for each of the objects to compute tile fill intersects for each of the objects and performing a play sequencing of each of the objects.

Abstract: An apparatus to facilitate graphics rendering is disclosed. The apparatus comprises sequencer hardware to operate in a tile mode to render objects, including performing batch formation to generate one or more batches of received objects, performing tile sequencing for each of the objects to compute tile fill intersects for each of the objects and performing a play sequencing of each of the objects.

Abstract: A method includes: receiving, by a device connected to a communications network, a neutral application packet kit; running, by the device, an instance of an application corresponding to the neutral application packet kit; requesting, by the application, endpoint data from an authentication cluster on the communications network; receiving, by the application, the endpoint data from the authentication cluster; and connecting, by the application, to an initial servicing cluster identified by the endpoint data.

Abstract: Position-based rendering apparatus and method for multi-die/GPU graphics processing. For example, one embodiment of a method comprises: distributing a plurality of graphics draws to a plurality of graphics processors; performing position-only shading using vertex data associated with tiles of a first draw on a first graphics processor, the first graphics processor responsively generating visibility data for each of the tiles; distributing subsets of the visibility data associated with different subsets of the tiles to different graphics processors; limiting geometry work to be performed on each tile by each graphics processor using the visibility data, each graphics processor to responsively generate rendered tiles; and wherein the rendered tiles are combined to generate a complete image frame.

Abstract: Sampling circuitry independently accesses channels of texture data that represent a set of pixels. One or more processing units separately compress the channels of the texture data and store compressed data representative of the channels of the texture data for the set of pixels. The channels can include a red channel, a blue channel, and a green channel that represent color values of the set of pixels and an alpha channel that represents degrees of transparency of the set of pixels. Storing the compressed data can include writing the compress data to portions of a cache. The processing units can identify a subset of the set of pixels that share a value of a first channel of the plurality of channels and represent the value of the first channel over the subset of the set of pixels using information representing the value, the first channel, and boundaries of the subset.

Abstract: Systems, apparatuses, and methods for performing dead surface invalidation are disclosed. An application sends draw call commands to a graphics processing unit (GPU) via a driver, with the draw call commands rendering to surfaces. After it is determined that a given surface will no longer be accessed by subsequent draw calls, the application sends a surface invalidation command for the given surface to a command processor of the GPU. After the command processor receives the surface invalidation command, the command processor waits for a shader engine to send a draw call completion message for a last draw call to access the given surface. Once the command processor receives the draw call completion message, the command processor sends a surface invalidation command to a cache to invalidate cache lines for the given surface to free up space in the cache for other data.

Abstract: A processing system divides successive dispatches of work items into portions. The successive dispatches are separated from each other by barriers, each barrier indicating that the work items of the previous dispatch must complete execution before work items of a subsequent dispatch can begin execution. In some embodiments, the processing system interleaves execution of portions of a first dispatch with portions of subsequent dispatches that consume data produced by the first dispatch. The processing system thereby reduces the amount of data written to the local cache by a producer dispatch while preserving data locality for a subsequent consumer (or consumer/producer) dispatch and facilitating processing efficiency.

Abstract: A processing system is configured to translate a first cache access pattern of a dispatch of work items to a cache access pattern that facilitates consumption of data stored at a cache of a parallel processing unit by a subsequent access before the data is evicted to a more remote level of the memory hierarchy. For consecutive cache accesses having read-after-read data locality, in some embodiments the processing system translates the first cache access pattern to a space-filling curve. In some embodiments, for consecutive accesses having read-after-write data locality, the processing system translates a first typewriter cache access pattern that proceeds in ascending order for a first access to a reverse typewriter cache access pattern that proceeds in descending order for a subsequent cache access. By translating the cache access pattern based on data locality, the processing system increases the hit rate of the cache.

Abstract: A processing system selectively allocates storage at a local cache of a parallel processing unit for cache lines of a repeating pattern of data that exceeds the storage capacity of the cache. The processing system identifies repeating patterns of data having cache lines that have a reuse distance that exceeds the storage capacity of the cache. A cache controller allocates storage for only a subset of cache lines of the repeating pattern of data at the cache and excludes the remainder of cache lines of the repeating pattern of data from the cache. By restricting the cache to store only a subset of cache lines of the repeating pattern of data, the cache controller increases the hit rate at the cache for the subset of cache lines.

Abstract: A processing unit performs a dispatch walk of a set of thread groups based on a programmable access pattern. The access pattern is stored at a table that is programmed with the access pattern based upon a specified command. By using the command to program the table with different access patterns, the dispatch order of the set of thread groups is adapted to better suit the processing of different data sets, thereby reducing power consumption at the processing unit, and improving overall processing efficiency.

Abstract: Methods, systems and apparatuses may provide for technology that determines the size of a graphics primitive, renders pixels associated with the graphics primitive on a per tile basis if the size exceeds a threshold, and renders the pixels associated with the graphics primitive in a mesh order if the size does not exceed the threshold. In one example, the technology discards state data associated with the graphics primitive in response to a completion of rendering the pixels associated with the graphics primitive in the mesh order.