Abstract: A computer implemented method of storing and retrieving feature map data of a neural network the method comprising receiving a first portion of feature map data from local storage, selecting a first set of subportions of the first portion of feature map data, compressing the subportions to produce a first plurality of sections of compressed feature map data and instructing the storage of the sections into external storage. The method also comprises receiving a second plurality of sections of compressed feature map data from the external storage, decompressing the sections to produce a second set of subportions of the second portion of feature map data and storing the second portion of feature map data in local storage. The first and second sets of subportions each correspond to a predetermined format of subdivision and the method comprises selecting the predetermined format of subdivision from a plurality of predetermined formats of subdivision.

Abstract: A method for generating output feature map data during operation of neural network processing by a processing unit comprising a plurality of computation resources. The method comprises obtaining first, real, data to be processed and loading the first data into a set of the plurality of computation resources, causing the set of computation resources to generate a computational result, in a first processing cycle of the processing unit. A lack of real data for processing in a second processing cycle of the processing unit, which is subsequent to the first processing cycle, is detected. The method comprises obtaining second, artificial, data, loading the second data into an artificially activated set, of the set of computation resources, in the second processing cycle, inhibiting the second data from affecting the output feature map data, and generating the output feature map data based at least in part on the computational result.

Abstract: A producer processing unit of a data processing system that is producing a stream of data for use by one or more consumer processing units of the data processing system maintains a record that is accessible to the consumer processing units of a position in the data stream for which it has written data to memory. The consumer processing units then control their reading of the data stream from the memory in accordance with the write position record maintained by the producer processing unit.

Abstract: A computer implemented method of storing and retrieving feature map data of a neural network the method comprising receiving a first portion of feature map data from local storage, selecting a first set of subportions of the first portion of feature map data, compressing the subportions to produce a first plurality of sections of compressed feature map data and instructing the storage of the sections into external storage. The method also comprises receiving a second plurality of sections of compressed feature map data from the external storage, decompressing the sections to produce a second set of subportions of the second portion of feature map data and storing the second portion of feature map data in local storage. The first and second sets of subportions each correspond to a predetermined format of subdivision and the method comprises selecting the predetermined format of subdivision from a plurality of predetermined formats of subdivision.

Abstract: An apparatus for decoding a sequence of frames of encoded video data includes parsing circuitry configured to parse the encoded video image data for a frame to derive encoding information for each block of the frame. The apparatus also includes feedback circuitry configured to feed back, to the parsing circuitry, encoding information for a frame for use when parsing the encoded video image data of the next frame. The encoding information includes an encoding indicator for each block. When the encoding indicators were enabled when encoding the blocks of the frame, the encoding indicator fed back for a block is the encoding indicator that was used to encode that block. When the encoding indicators for the blocks of the frame were disabled when encoding the video image data for the frame, the encoding indicator fed back for a block is an encoding indicator derived from a previous frame.

Abstract: A producer processing unit of a data processing system that is producing a stream of data for use by one or more consumer processing units of the data processing system maintains a record that is accessible to the consumer processing units of a position in the data stream for which it has written data to memory. The consumer processing units then control their reading of the data stream from the memory in accordance with the write position record maintained by the producer processing unit.

Abstract: An apparatus for decoding a sequence of frames of encoded video data includes parsing circuitry configured to parse the encoded video image data for a frame to derive encoding information for each block of the frame. The apparatus also includes feedback circuitry configured to feed back, to the parsing circuitry, encoding information for a frame for use when parsing the encoded video image data of the next frame. The encoding information includes an encoding indicator for each block. When the encoding indicators were enabled when encoding the blocks of the frame, the encoding indicator fed back for a block is the encoding indicator that was used to encode that block. When the encoding indicators for the blocks of the frame were disabled when encoding the video image data for the frame, the encoding indicator fed back for a block is an encoding indicator derived from a previous frame.