Abstract: A method of prefetching attribute data from storage for a graphics processing pipeline comprising a cache, and at least one buffer to which data is prefetched from the storage and from which data is made available for storing in the cache. The method comprises retrieving first attribute data from the storage, the first attribute data representative of a first attribute of a first vertex of a plurality of vertices of at least one graphics primitive, identifying the first vertex, and, in response to the identifying, performing a prefetch process. The prefetch process comprises prefetching second attribute data from the storage, the second attribute data representative of a second attribute of the first vertex, the second attribute being different from the first attribute, and storing the second attribute data in a buffer of the at least one buffer.

Abstract: Apparatus for processing data includes processing circuitry 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26 and decoder circuitry 14 for decoding program instructions. The program instructions decoded include a floating point pre-conversion instruction which performs round-to-nearest ties to even rounding upon the mantissa field of an input floating number to generate an output floating point number with the same mantissa length but with the mantissa rounded to a position corresponding to a shorter mantissa field. The output mantissa field includes a suffix of zero values concatenated the rounded value. The decoder for circuitry 14 is also responsive to an integer pre-conversion instruction to quantise and input integer value using round-to-nearest ties to even rounding to form an output integer operand with a number of significant bits matched to the mantissa size of a floating point number to which the integer is later to be converted using an integer-to-floating point conversion instruction.

Abstract: A method of prefetching attribute data from storage for a graphics processing pipeline comprising a cache, and at least one buffer to which data is prefetched from the storage and from which data is made available for storing in the cache. The method comprises retrieving first attribute data from the storage, the first attribute data representative of a first attribute of a first vertex of a plurality of vertices of at least one graphics primitive, identifying the first vertex, and, in response to the identifying, performing a prefetch process. The prefetch process comprises prefetching second attribute data from the storage, the second attribute data representative of a second attribute of the first vertex, the second attribute being different from the first attribute, and storing the second attribute data in a buffer of the at least one buffer.

Abstract: A single instruction multiple data processing pipeline 12 for processing floating point operands includes shared special case handling circuitry 34 for performing any operand dependent special case processing operations. The operand dependent special case processing operations result from special case conditions such as operands that are denormal, an infinity, a not-a-number and a floating point number requiring format conversion. The pipeline 12 may in some embodiments be stalled while the operands requiring special case processing are serially shifted to and from the shared special case handling circuitry 34. In other embodiments the instruction in which the special case condition for an operand arose may be recirculated through the pipeline with permutation circuitry 86, 94 being used to swap the operands between lanes in order to place the operand(s) requiring special case processing operations into the lane containing the shared special case handling circuitry 98.

Abstract: Apparatus for processing data includes processing circuitry 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26 and decoder circuitry 14 for decoding program instructions. The program instructions decoded include a floating point pre-conversion instruction which performs round-to-nearest ties to even rounding upon the mantissa field of an input floating number to generate an output floating point number with the same mantissa length but with the mantissa rounded to a position corresponding to a shorter mantissa field. The output mantissa field includes a suffix of zero values concatenated the rounded value. The decoder for circuitry 14 is also responsive to an integer pre-conversion instruction to quantise and input integer value using round-to-nearest ties to even rounding to form an output integer operand with a number of significant bits matched to the mantissa size of a floating point number to which the integer is later to be converted using an integer-to-floating point conversion instruction.

Abstract: Apparatus for processing data includes processing circuitry 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26 and decoder circuitry 14 for decoding program instructions. The program instructions decoded include a floating point pre-conversion instruction which performs round-to-nearest ties to even rounding upon the mantissa field of an input floating number to generate an output floating point number with the same mantissa length but with the mantissa rounded to a position corresponding to a shorter mantissa field. The output mantissa field includes a suffix of zero values concatenated the rounded value. The decoder for circuitry 14 is also responsive to an integer pre-conversion instruction to quantize and input integer value using round-to-nearest ties to even rounding to form an output integer operand with a number of significant bits matched to the mantissa size of a floating point number to which the integer is later to be converted using an integer-to-floating point conversion instruction.

Abstract: A single instruction multiple data processing pipeline 12 for processing floating point operands includes shared special case handling circuitry 34 for performing any operand dependent special case processing operations. The operand dependent special case processing operations result from special case conditions such as operands that are denormal, an infinity, a not-a-number and a floating point number requiring format conversion. The pipeline 12 may in some embodiments be stalled while the operands requiring special case processing are serially shifted to and from the shared special case handling circuitry 34. In other embodiments the instruction in which the special case condition for an operand arose may be recirculated through the pipeline with permutation circuitry 86, 94 being used to swap the operands between lanes in order to place the operand(s) requiring special case processing operations into the lane containing the shared special case handling circuitry 98.

Abstract: Apparatus for processing data includes processing circuitry 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26 and decoder circuitry 14 for decoding program instructions. The program instructions decoded include a floating point pre-conversion instruction which performs round-to-nearest ties to even rounding upon the mantissa field of an input floating number to generate an output floating point number with the same mantissa length but with the mantissa rounded to a position corresponding to a shorter mantissa field. The output mantissa field includes a suffix of zero values concatenated the rounded value. The decoder for circuitry 14 is also responsive to an integer pre-conversion instruction to quantise and input integer value using round-to-nearest ties to even rounding to form an output integer operand with a number of significant bits matched to the mantissa size of a floating point number to which the integer is later to be converted using an integer-to-floating point conversion instruction.