Abstract: The method and systems described herein provide for identifying and mitigating undesirable power or voltage fluctuations in regions of a semiconductor device. For example, embodiments include detecting a region, such as an individual processor, of a processor chip is exhibiting a reduced power draw and a resulting localized voltage spike (e.g., a spike that exceeds Vmax) that would accelerate overall device end-of-life (EOL). The described systems respond by activating circuits or current generators located in the given region to draw additional power via a protective current. The protective current lowers the local voltages spikes back to within some pre-specified range (e.g., below a Vmax). The resulting reduction in the time above Vmax in testing reduces the number of devices that will need to be discarded due to Vmax violations as well as increases the expected reliability and lifespan of the device in operation.

Abstract: The method and systems described herein provide for identifying and mitigating undesirable power or voltage fluctuations in regions of a semiconductor device. For example, embodiments include detecting a region, such as an individual processor, of a processor chip is exhibiting a reduced power draw and a resulting localized voltage spike (e.g., a spike that exceeds Vmax) that would accelerate overall device end-of-life (EOL). The described systems respond by activating circuits or current generators located in the given region to draw additional power via a protective current. The protective current lowers the local voltages spikes back to within some pre-specified range (e.g., below a Vmax). The resulting reduction in the time above Vmax in testing reduces the number of devices that will need to be discarded due to Vmax violations as well as increases the expected reliability and lifespan of the device in operation.

Abstract: Rounding hexadecimal floating point numbers using binary incrementors, including: incrementing, by a first incrementor, a first subset of bits of an operand comprising a binary hexadecimal floating point operand; incrementing, by a second incrementor, a second subset of bits of the operand; generate an intermediate result based on a carryout of the second incrementor; and generate an incremented result based on a carryout of the first incrementor and one or more of: a first bit of the intermediate result or the carryout of the second incrementor.

Abstract: Verifying the correctness of a leading zero counter, including: generating, based on an input value comprising a plurality of digits, a first bit vector, wherein each entry of the first bit vector indicates whether a corresponding digit of the input value is equal to zero; calculating, based on the first bit vector, a leading zero count for the input value; generating a bit mask comprising a number of leading ones equal to the leading zero count; generating a second bit vector comprising a one at a same index as a first occurring zero in the bit mask; and verifying the leading zero count based on the first bit vector and one or more of the bit mask and the second bit vector.

Abstract: Reduced logic conversion of binary integers to binary coded decimals, including: generating, from an input binary integer, an intermediate value comprising all zero digits encoded in an intermediate format; until each bit of the input binary integer has been shifted into the intermediate value: shifting a bit of the input binary integer into the intermediate value; doubling the intermediate value; converting the intermediate value to a binary encoded decimal output; and wherein the intermediate format comprises, for each digit of the intermediate value, a plurality of bits corresponding to a plurality of even weights, a first bit corresponding to a one weight, and a second bit corresponding to an inverse of the one weight.

Abstract: A method, computer program, and computer system are provided for floating-point conversion with denormalization in a single clock cycle. An input floating-point number corresponding to an input data type is received. An exponent value and a fraction value are extracted from the received input floating-point number. A biasing constant associated with converting the received input floating-point number from the input data type to an output data type is determined. The exponent value is biased based on the biasing constant. The fraction value is converted to the output data type based on a denormalization constant associated with the extracted exponent value and the determined biasing constant. Biasing the exponent value and converting the fraction value occurs in a single clock cycle based on performing these actions in parallel. A floating-point number is output in the output data type corresponding to the converted fraction value and the biased exponent value.

Abstract: A hardware device is provided to perform a plurality of operations to convert an input value directly from one format to another format. The hardware device is to perform the plurality of operations based on execution of an instruction. The plurality of operations includes scaling the input value to provide a scaled result and converting the scaled result from the one format to provide a converted result in the other format. The scaling and converting are to be performed as part of executing the instruction. The converted result in the other format is provided to be used in processing within the computing environment.

Abstract: A hardware device is provided to perform a plurality of operations to convert an input value directly from one format to another format. The hardware device is to perform the plurality of operations based on execution of an instruction. The plurality of operations includes converting one part of the input value to provide a converted value, performing one or more arithmetic operations on another part of the input value to provide an intermediate value, and using the converted value and the intermediate value to provide a converted result in the other format. The converting, the performing and the using are performed as part of executing the instruction. The converted result in the other format is to be used in processing within the computing environment.

Abstract: Dynamic selection of a multiplication algorithm by receiving operands A and B, determining a difference between A and B, selecting a first multiplication algorithm if the difference falls below a threshold, selecting a second multiplication algorithm if the difference equals or exceeds the threshold, pre-scaling the operands, calculating a quotient for the scaled operands, back multiplying the quotient using the selected algorithm, yielding a product, subtracting the product from operand A, yielding a remainder, and providing the remainder as an output.

Abstract: An instruction is provided for performing a vector string search. The instruction to be processed is obtained, with the instruction being defined to be a string search instruction to locate occurrence of a substring within a string. The instruction is processed, with the processing including searching the string specified in one operand of the instruction using the substring specified in another operand of the instruction. Based on the searching locating a first full match of the substring within the string, a full match condition indication is returned with position of the first full match in the string, and based on the searching locating only a partial match of the substring at a termination of the string, a partial match condition indication is returned, with the position of the partial match in the string.

Abstract: An instruction to perform an operation selected from a plurality of operations configured for the instruction is executed. The executing includes determining a value of a selected operand of the instruction. The determining the value is based on a control of the instruction and includes reading the selected operand of the instruction from a selected operand location to obtain the value of the selected operand, based on the control having a first value, and using a predetermined value as the value of the selected operand, based on the control having a second value. The value and another selected operand of the instruction are multiplied to obtain a product. An arithmetic operation is performed using the product and a chosen operand of the instruction to obtain an intermediate result. A result from the intermediate result is obtained and placed in a selected location.

Abstract: An instruction to perform an operation selected from a plurality of operations configured for the instruction is executed. The executing includes determining a value of a selected operand of the instruction. The determining the value is based on a control of the instruction and includes reading the selected operand of the instruction from a selected operand location to obtain the value of the selected operand, based on the control having a first value, and using a predetermined value as the value of the selected operand, based on the control having a second value. The value and another selected operand of the instruction are multiplied to obtain a product. An arithmetic operation is performed using the product and a chosen operand of the instruction to obtain an intermediate result. A result from the intermediate result is obtained and placed in a selected location.

Abstract: A method of performing instruction scheduling during execution in a processor includes receiving, at an execution unit of the processor, an initial assignment of an assigned execution resource among two or more execution resources to execute an operation. An instruction includes two or more operations. Based on determining that the assigned execution resource is not available, the method also includes determining, at the execution unit, whether another execution resource among the two or more execution resources is available to execute the operation. Based on determining that the other execution resource is available, the method further includes executing the operation with the other execution resource.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention are directed to a computer-implemented method of for parallel conversion to binary coded decimal format. The method includes receiving, by a floating point unit (FPU), a value in binary floating point (BFP) format. The BFP value includes an integer part and a fractional part. The FPU converts the BFP value to a binary coded decimal (BCD) value. In parallel to converting the BFP value to a BCD value, the FPU performs a rounding operation on the BFP value. The FPU receives the rounding information and operates on the BCD value accordingly.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method includes: receiving, using a processor, a decimal floating point number; and using a floating point unit within the processor to convert the decimal floating point number into a binary coded decimal number, wherein the floating point unit starts a conversion loop subsequent to a rounding loop starting, wherein the rounding loop and the conversion loop run in parallel once started.

Abstract: A method is provided. The method is executable by a processor. The method includes receiving, by an instruction issue unit of the processor as an input, a preferred instruction variant from an instruction variant selection logic. The method includes executing, by an execution unit of the processor, the preferred instruction variant. The method includes providing, by the execution unit of the processor, quality feedback to the instruction variant selection logic and evaluating, by the instruction variant selection logic of the processor, the preferred instruction variant based on the quality feedback.

Abstract: A method includes obtaining a trigger signal directed to a component in a subset of components of an electronic circuit, and activating a clock corresponding with the subset of components of the electronic circuit for a preliminary period in response to the trigger signal. An active period is determined based on the trigger signal. The clock remains active for the active period. One of a timer or counter is initiated for the active period. A limit is defined for the one of the timer or counter. The active period is dynamically extended for a busy period after the one of the timer or counter is initiated. The clock is deactivated following the active period.

Abstract: An instruction is provided for performing a vector string search. The instruction to be processed is obtained, with the instruction being defined to be a string search instruction to locate occurrence of a substring within a string. The instruction is processed, with the processing including searching the string specified in one operand of the instruction using the substring specified in another operand of the instruction. Based on the searching locating a first full match of the substring within the string, a full match condition indication is returned with position of the first full match in the string, and based on the searching locating only a partial match of the substring at a termination of the string, a partial match condition indication is returned, with the position of the partial match in the string.

Abstract: An instruction is provided for performing a vector string search. The instruction to be processed is obtained, with the instruction being defined to be a string search instruction to locate occurrence of a substring within a string. The instruction is processed, with the processing including searching the string specified in one operand of the instruction using the substring specified in another operand of the instruction. Based on the searching locating a first full match of the substring within the string, a full match condition indication is returned with position of the first full match in the string, and based on the searching locating only a partial match of the substring at a termination of the string, a partial match condition indication is returned, with the position of the partial match in the string.

Abstract: A method for detecting faults in substring search operations includes providing, using a processor unit including vector registers of M vector elements each, an M×M matrix of comparators for characterwise comparison of the elements of a reference string stored in a first one of the vector registers and a target string stored in a second one of the vector registers. A vector element is an n-bit element for encoding a character. A resulting bit vector is generated using comparison performed by the M×M matrix. The resulting bit vector indicates characters of the target string that fully match the reference string and indicates characters of the target string that partially match the reference string. Fault detection in the substring search operations is performed by utilizing the resulting bit vector.