Abstract: A method and system for an early Z test in a tile-based three-dimensional rendering is provided. In the method and system for an early Z test, a portion which is not displayed to a user is removed prior to performing a rasterization process, and thereby performing the 3D rendering efficiently. The method includes segmenting a scene into tiles for performing a rendering with respect to a triangle; selecting a first tile of the tiles, which has a tile Z value less than a minimum Z value of the triangle; and performing the rendering with respect to the triangle in remaining tiles excluding the selected first tile of the tiles.

Abstract: Provided is a Direct Memory Access (DMA) controller which provides a function of searching for a specific pattern from data being transmitted during DMA transmission. The DMA controller stores at least one pattern value. The DMA controller compares data being transmitted to a pattern value while transmitting the data using a DMA method, and generates, in response to data matching the pattern value being detected, a signal indicating that the data matching the pattern value has been detected. The DMA controller stores an address of the data matching the pattern value in response to the generated signal.

Abstract: An electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection element includes a first diode, a second diode, and a poly resistor. The first diode is connected between a first voltage and an input/output (I/O) pad. The second diode is connected between the I/O pad and a second voltage. The poly resistor is formed on the second diode.

Abstract: A static branch prediction method and code execution method for a pipeline processor, and a code compiling method for static branch prediction, are provided herein. The static branch prediction method includes predicting a conditional branch code as taken or not-taken, adding the prediction information, converting the conditional branch code into a jump target address setting (JTS) code including target address information, branch time information, and a test code, and scheduling codes in a block. The code may be scheduled into a last slot of the block, and the JTS code may be scheduled into an empty slot after all the other codes in the block are scheduled. When the conditional branch code is predicted as taken in the prediction operation, a target address indicated by the target address information may be fetched at a cycle time indicated by the branch time information.

Abstract: A clamping circuit is provided, which may clamp a voltage at a node of a circuit to a stable level by using a transistor already included in the circuit. The clamping circuit may clamp a voltage at a first node of a circuit inside a semiconductor chip to a more stable level when electro-static discharge (ESD) occurs. The clamping circuit may include a transistor and a capacitive element to store a control voltage to turn on the transistor in response to ESD.

Abstract: Disclosed is a data processing system and method. The data processing method determines the number of static registers and the number of rotating registers for assigning a register to a variable contained in a certain program, assigns the register to the variable based on the number of the static registers and the number of the rotating registers, and compiles the program. Further, the method stores in the special register a value corresponding to the number of the rotating registers in the compiling operation, and obtains a physical address from a logical address of the register based on the value. Accordingly, the present invention provides an aspect of efficiently using register files by dynamically controlling the number of rotating registers and the number of static registers for a software pipelined loop, and has an effect capable of reducing the generations of spill/fill codes unnecessary during program execution to a minimum.

Abstract: Provided are a loop accelerator and a data processing system having the loop accelerator. The data processing system includes a loop accelerator which executes a loop part of a program, a processor core which processes a remaining part of the program except the loop part, and a central register file which transmits data between the processor core and the loop accelerator. The loop accelerator includes a plurality of processing elements (PEs) each of which performs an operation on each word to execute the program, a configuration memory which stores configuration bits indicating operations, states, etc. of the PEs, and a plurality of context memories, installed in a column or row direction of the PEs, which transmit the configuration bits along a direction toward which the PEs are arrayed. Thus, a connection structure between the configuration memory and the PEs can be simplified to easily modify a structure of the loop accelerator so as to extend the loop accelerator.

Abstract: A processor and a computing system are provided. A processor includes a processor core, and a buffer memory to read word data from a memory, the read word data including first byte data read by the processor core from the memory, and to store the read word data, wherein the buffer memory determines whether second byte data requested by the processor core is stored in the buffer memory.

Abstract: Disclosed is a mixed-type adder with optimized design costs. The mixed-type adder includes I sub adders, (where, I is a positive number larger than 1). An overall bit width of the mixed-type adder is divided into I bit groups which are respectively allocated to the I sub adders. The I sub adders have different carry propagation schemes and are connected in series through a carry signal.

Abstract: Pipeline synchronization device for transferring data between clocked devices having different clock frequencies. The Pipeline synchronization device comprises a mousetrap buffer for exchanging data with one of said external devices said mousetrap buffer having a signalling output for coordinating the data exchange with the external device. The pipeline synchronization device comprises further a synchronizer adapted to synchronizing the change in a signalling output with the clock of the external device.

Abstract: Provided are a method and apparatus for avoiding bank conflict. A first instruction that is one of access instructions that are predicted to cause the bank conflict is replaced with a second instruction by changing an execute timing of the first instruction to a timing prior to the execute timing of the first instruction so as for the access instructions not to cause the bank conflict. Next, a load/store unit that is scheduled to access the bank according to the first instruction accesses the bank and reads out a data from the bank at an execute timing of the second instruction, and after that, the load/store unit is allowed to be inputted the read data at the execute timing of the first instruction. Accordingly, although the access instructions that are predicted to cause the bank conflict are allocated to the load/store units, the bank conflict can be prevented, so that it is possible to avoid deterioration in performance due the occurrence of the bank conflict.

Abstract: A method of sharing a coarse grained array and a processor using the method is provided. A processor includes a first processor core including a plurality of first functional units which execute a first instruction set, a second processor core including a plurality of second functional units which execute a second instruction set, and a coarse grained array including a plurality of third functional units which execute a portion of instructions of the first instruction set and/or the second instruction set, instead of the first processor core and/or the second processor core.

Abstract: A reconfigurable processor comprising a configuration memory for storing a configuration bit for at least one loop configuration; a valid information memory for storing bit information indicating whether an operation in a loop is a delay operation; and at least one processing unit for determining whether an operation in a next cycle is the delay operation by referring to the bit information transmitted from the valid information memory, and selectively performing a change and an implementation of a configuration according to the configuration bit from the configuration memory based on the determined results.

Abstract: Provided is a processor and method of performing speculative load instructions of the processor in which a load instruction is performed only in the case where the load instruction substantially accesses a memory. A load instruction for canceling operations is performed in other cases except the above case, so that problems occurring by accessing an input/output (I/O) mapped memory area and the like at the time of performing speculative load instructions can be prevented using only a software-like method, thereby improving the performance of a processor.

Abstract: A format conversion apparatus which converts image data of a band interleave format into image data of a band separate format is provided. The apparatus includes a memory which stores image data of a band interleave format; and a converting module which reads the memory by increasing a read address of the memory for each stride, and converts the image data of the band interleave format into image data of a band separate format.

Abstract: A hardware memory architecture or arrangement suited for multi-processor systems or arrays is disclosed. In one aspect, the memory arrangement includes at least one memory queue between a functional unit (e.g., computation unit) and at least one memory device, which the functional unit accesses (for write and/or read access).

Abstract: A method and system for an early Z test in a tile-based three-dimensional rendering is provided. In the method and system for an early Z test, a portion which is not displayed to a user is removed prior to performing a rasterization process, and thereby performing the 3D rendering efficiently. The method includes segmenting a scene into tiles for performing a rendering with respect to a triangle; selecting a first tile of the tiles, which has a tile Z value less than a minimum Z value of the triangle; and performing the rendering with respect to the triangle in remaining tiles excluding the selected first tile of the tiles.

Abstract: A tile binning method including: dividing a scene for rendering a triangle, into a plurality of tiles; determining identification values of tile nodes of each of the tiles; and identifying a tile including an entirety or a part of the triangle from the tiles, based on the identification value of the tile nodes for each of the tiles.

Abstract: A clamping circuit is provided, which may clamp a voltage at a node of a circuit to a stable level by using a transistor already included in the circuit. The clamping circuit may clamp a voltage at a first node of a circuit inside a semiconductor chip to a more stable level when electro-static discharge (ESD) occurs. The clamping circuit may include a transistor and a capacitive element to store a control voltage to turn on the transistor in response to ESD.

Abstract: Disclosed is a data processing system and method. The data processing method determines the number of static registers and the number of rotating registers for assigning a register to a variable contained in a certain program, assigns the register to the variable based on the number of the static registers and the number of the rotating registers, and compiles the program. Further, the method stores in the special register a value corresponding to the number of the rotating registers in the compiling operation, and obtains a physical address from a logical address of the register based on the value. Accordingly, the present invention provides an aspect of efficiently using register files by dynamically controlling the number of rotating registers and the number of static registers for a software pipelined loop, and has an effect capable of reducing the generations of spill/fill codes unnecessary during program execution to a minimum.