Imagination Technologies Limited

Nordic Semiconductor Asa

Gary Christopher Wass

Adrian John Anderson

Gareth J Davies

Michael John Davis

Gareth John Davies

A technique for transferring data in a digital signal processing system is described. In one example, the digital signal processing system comprises a number of fixed function accelerators, each connected to a memory access controller and each configured to read data from a memory device, perform one or more operations on the data, and write data to the memory device. To avoid hardwiring the fixed function accelerators together, and to provide a configurable digital signal processing system, a multi-threaded processor controls the transfer of data between the fixed function accelerators and the memory. Each processor thread is allocated to a memory access channel, and the threads are configured to detect an occurrence of an event and, responsive to this, control the memory access controller to enable a selected fixed function accelerator to read data from or write data to the memory device via its memory access channel.

Digital signal processing data transfer

Methods and apparatus for efficient loading of data from memory to registers and storing of data from registers to memory are described. In an embodiment, a processor comprises a data structure to which addresses which are used for load operations are pushed. Instead of independently generating addresses for a store operation, addresses are popped from the data structure and either used directly or an optional offset may first be applied to the popped address. In this way, a store operation and a load operation may be performed in parallel because they do not both require use of the logic which independently generates addresses for load/store operations. In various examples, the data structure is a FIFO structure.

Efficient loading and storing of data between memory and registers using a data structure for load and store addressing

Memory access in a digital signal processing system is described. In one example, the digital signal processing system comprises a multi-port memory that is constructed from a memory interface connected to a number of single-port memory devices. The memory interface provides access ports that processors can use to access data stored on the single-port memory devices using a single address space. A processor can be connected to several access ports, and use these to request access to data at several different memory addresses at the same time. The digital signal processing system is configured such that the total number of single-port memory devices connected to the memory interface is a prime number greater than or equal to three. Because a prime number of memory devices are used, the likelihood of the data for the different memory addresses being on the same single-port memory device is minimised, increasing memory access speed.

Memory access for digital signal processing

A plurality of single port memories are provided for use with a single instruction multiple data processor. These are operable as a multi-port memory with simultaneous access to the plurality of single port memories. The apparatus is operable to send an access request for a plurality of memory locations to the locations in a known order. This request is then reordered to be suitable for application to the single port memories. The memories are then accessed and the data reordered to conform with the access request format.

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St. Albans, United Kingdom

Gary Christopher Wass