Abstract: An approach allows concurrent execution of near-memory processing commands, referred to herein as “PIM commands,” and host memory commands. A memory controller determines and issues a plurality of register-only PIM commands that do not reference memory with host memory commands to allow concurrent execution of the register-only PIM commands and the host memory commands. The approach allows concurrent execution of register-only PIM commands and host memory commands without interference, even when the register-only PIM commands and the host memory commands are interleaved, and even for the same memory module, which improves resource utilization and performance. Further improvement of resource utilization and performance is achieved by extending a register-only phase by reordering register-only PIM commands before non-register-only PIM commands, subject to dependency constraints, and using shadow row buffers to provide local working copies of data from memory to near-memory compute elements.

Abstract: A memory module includes register selection logic to select alternate local source and/or destination registers to process PIM commands. The register selection logic uses an address-based register selection approach to select an alternate local source and/or destination register based upon address data specified by a PIM command and a split address maintained by a memory module. The register selection logic may alternatively use a register data-based approach to select an alternate local source and/or destination register based upon data stored in one or more local registers. A PIM-enabled memory module configured with the register selection logic described herein is capable of selecting an alternate local source and/or destination register to process PIM commands at or near the PIM execution unit where the PIM commands are executed.

Abstract: Memory allocation for processing-in-memory operations, including: receiving, by an allocation module, a memory allocation request indicating a plurality of data structure operands for a processing-in-memory operation; determining a memory allocation pattern for the plurality of data structure operands, wherein the memory allocation pattern interleaves a plurality of component pages of a memory page across the plurality of data structure operands; and allocating the memory page based on the determined memory allocation pattern.

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses to control digital data transfer via a memory channel between a memory module and a processor are disclosed. At least one of the memory module or the processor coalesces a plurality of short data words into multicast coalesced block data comprising a single data block for transfer via the memory channel. Each of the plurality of short data words pertains to one of at least two partitioned memory submodules in the memory module. The multicast coalesced block data is communicated over the memory channel.

Abstract: A memory module includes one or more programmable ECC engines that may be programed by a host processing element with a particular ECC implementation. As used herein, the term “ECC implementation” refers to ECC functionality for performing error detection and subsequent processing, for example using the results of the error detection to perform error correction and to encode corrupted data that cannot be corrected, etc. The approach allows an SoC designer or company to program and reprogram ECC engines in memory modules in a secure manner without having to disclose the particular ECC implementations used by the ECC engines to memory vendors or third parties.

Abstract: An approach is provided for managing near-memory processing commands (“PIM commands”) from multiple processor threads in a manner to prevent interference and maintain correctness at near-memory processing elements. A memory controller uses thread identification information and last command information to issue a PIM command sequence from a first processor thread, directed to a PIM-enabled memory element, while deferring the issuance of PIM command sequences from other processor threads, directed to the same PIM-enabled memory element. After the last PIM command in the PIM command sequence for the first processor thread has been issued, a PIM command sequence for another processor thread is issued, and so on. The approach allows multiple processor threads to concurrently issue fine grained PIM commands to the same PIM-enabled memory element without having to be aware of address-to-memory element mapping, and without having to coordinate with other threads.

Abstract: An approach allows concurrent execution of near-memory processing commands, referred to herein as “PIM commands,” and host memory commands. A memory controller determines and issues a plurality of register-only PIM commands that do not reference memory with host memory commands to allow concurrent execution of the register-only PIM commands and the host memory commands. The approach allows concurrent execution of register-only PIM commands and host memory commands without interference, even when the register-only PIM commands and the host memory commands are interleaved, and even for the same memory module, which improves resource utilization and performance. Further improvement of resource utilization and performance is achieved by extending a register-only phase by reordering register-only PIM commands before non-register-only PIM commands, subject to dependency constraints, and using shadow row buffers to provide local working copies of data from memory to near-memory compute elements.

Abstract: An approach is provided for processing near-memory processing commands, e.g., PIM commands, using PIM register definition data that defines multiple combinations of source and/or destination registers to be used to process PIM commands. A particular combination of source and/or destination registers to be used to process a PIM command is specified by the PIM command or determined by a near-memory processing element processing the PIM command. According to another implementation, the PIM register definition data specifies an initial combination of source and/or destination registers and one or more update functions for each PIM command. A near-memory processing element processes a PIM command using the initial combination of source and/or destination registers and uses the one or more update functions to update the combination of source and/or destination registers to be used the next time the PIM command is processed.

Abstract: A processing device and methods of controlling remote persistent writes are provided. Methods include receiving an instruction of a program to issue a persistent write to remote memory. The methods also include logging an entry in a local domain when the persistent write instruction is received and providing a first indication that the persistent write will be persisted to the remote memory. The methods also include executing the persistent write to the remote memory and providing a second indication that the persistent write to the remote memory is completed. The methods also include providing the first and second indications when it is determined not to execute the persistent write according to global ordering and providing the second indication without providing the first indication when it is determined to execute the persistent write to remote memory according to global ordering.

Abstract: A technical solution to the technical problem of how to reduce the undesirable side effects of offloading computations to memory uses read hints to preload results of memory-side processing into a processor-side cache. A cache controller, in response to identifying a read hint in a memory-side processing instruction, causes results of the memory-side processing to be preloaded into a processor-side cache. Implementations include, without limitation, enabling or disabling the preloading based upon cache thrashing levels, preloading results, or portions of results, of memory-side processing to particular destination caches, preloading results based upon priority and/or degree of confidence, and/or during periods of low data bus and/or command bus utilization, last stores considerations, and enforcing an ordering constraint to ensure that preloading occurs after memory-side processing results are complete.

Abstract: A technical solution to the technical problem of how to support memory-centric operations on cached data uses a novel memory-centric memory operation that invokes write back functionality on cache controllers and memory controllers. The write back functionality enforces selective flushing of dirty, i.e., modified, cached data that is needed for memory-centric memory operations from caches to the completion level of the memory-centric memory operations, and updates the coherence state appropriately at each cache level. The technical solution ensures that commands to implement the selective cache flushing are ordered before the memory-centric memory operation at the completion level of the memory-centric memory operation.

Abstract: An approach is provided for skipping, i.e., not processing and/or deleting, near-memory processing commands when one or more skip criteria are satisfied. Examples of skip criteria include, without limitation, specific operations, specific operands, and combinations of specific operations and specific operands. The approach is implemented at one or more memory command processing elements in the memory pipeline of a processor, such as memory controllers, caches, queues, and buffers, etc. Implementations include exceptions to skipping in certain situations and software support for configuring skip criteria, including particular operations and operands for which skip checking is performed. The approach provides the benefits of reducing command bus traffic and power consumption while maintaining functional correctness.

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses to control digital data transfer via a memory channel between a memory module and a processor are disclosed. At least one of the memory module or the processor coalesces a plurality of short data words into multicast coalesced block data comprising a single data block for transfer via the memory channel. Each of the plurality of short data words pertains to one of at least two partitioned memory submodules in the memory module. The multicast coalesced block data is communicated over the memory channel.

Abstract: Approaches are provided for implementing hardware-software collaborative address mapping schemes that enable mapping data elements which are accessed together in the same row of one bank or over the same rows of different banks to achieve higher performance by reducing row conflicts. Using an intra-bank frame striping policy (IBFS), corresponding subsets of data elements are interleaved into a single row of a bank. Using an intra-channel frame striping policy (ICFS), corresponding subsets of data elements are interleaved into a single channel row of a channel. A memory controller utilizes ICFS and/or IBFS to efficiently store and access data elements in memory, such as processing-in-memory (PIM) enabled memory.

Abstract: Dynamically coalescing atomic memory operations for memory-local computing is disclosed. In an embodiment, it is determined whether a first atomic memory access and a second atomic memory access are candidates for coalescing. In response to a triggering event, the atomic memory accesses that are candidates for coalescing are coalesced in a cache prior to requesting memory-local processing by a memory-local compute unit. The atomic memory accesses may be coalesced in the same cache line or atomic memory accesses in different cache lines may be coalesced using a multicast memory-local processing command.

Abstract: A processing device is provided which comprises memory configured to store data and a plurality of processor cores in communication with each other via first and second hierarchical communication links. Processor cores of a first hierarchical processor core group are in communication with each other via the first hierarchical communication links and are configured to store, in the memory, a sub-portion of data of a first matrix and a sub-portion of data of a second matrix. The processor cores are also configured to determine a product of the sub-portion of data of the first matrix and the sub-portion of data of the second matrix, receive, from another processor core, another sub-portion of data of the second matrix and determine a product of the sub-portion of data of the first matrix and the other sub-portion of data of the second matrix.

Abstract: Detecting execution hazards in offloaded operations is disclosed. A second offload operation is compared to a first offload operation that precedes the second offload operation. It is determined whether the second offload operation creates an execution hazard on an offload target device based on the comparison of the second offload operation to the first offload operation. If the execution hazard is detected, an error handling operation may be performed. In some examples, the offload operations are processing-in-memory operations.

Abstract: Near-memory compute elements perform memory operations and temporarily store at least a portion of address information for the memory operations in local storage. A broadcast memory command is then issued to the near-memory compute elements that causes the near-memory compute elements to perform a subsequent memory operation using their respective address information stored in the local storage. This allows a single broadcast memory command to be used to perform memory operations across multiple memory elements, such as DRAM banks, using bank-specific address information. In one implementation, the approach is used to process workloads with irregular updates to memory while consuming less command bus bandwidth than conventional approaches. Implementations include using conditional flags to selectively designate address information in local storage that is to be processed with the broadcast memory command.

Abstract: Memory operations using compound memory commands, including: receiving, by a memory module, a compound memory command indicating one or more operations to be applied to each portion of a plurality of portions of contiguous memory in the memory module; generating, based on the compound memory command, a plurality of memory commands to apply the one or more operations to each portion of the plurality of portions of contiguous memory; and executing the plurality of memory commands.

Abstract: Methods and processing devices are provided for error protection to support instruction replay for executing idempotent instructions at a processing in memory PIM device. The processing apparatus includes a PIM device configured to execute an idempotent instruction. The processing apparatus also includes a processor, in communication with the PIM device, configured to issue the idempotent instruction to the PIM device for execution at the PIM device and reissue the idempotent instruction to the PIM device when one of execution of the idempotent instruction at the PIM device results in an error and a predetermined latency period expires from when the idempotent instruction is issued.