Texas Instruments Corporation

Google Inc.

Joseph Raymond Michael Zbiciak

Timothy David Anderson

Duc Quang Bui

Jonathan (Son) Hung Tran

Abhijeet Ashok Chachad

Raguram Damodaran

Kai Chirca

Daniel Brad Wu

David Matthew Thompson

Mujibur Rahman

Peter Richard Dent

Jelena Milanovic

Jason Lynn Peck

Ashish Rai Shrivastava

Eric Biscondi

Naveen Bhoria

Prashant R Chandra

Ramakrishnan Venkatasubramanian

Dheera Balasubramanian

David Alan Dillow

Horacio Andres Lagar Cavilla

Amitabh Menon

Roger Kyle Castille

Shrijeet Subhabrata Mukherjee

Krishna Chaithanya Gurram

Shrijeet Mukherjee

Ashish Shrivastava

A Very Long Instruction Word (VLIW) digital signal processor particularly adapted for single instruction multiple data (SIMD) operation on various operand widths and data sizes. A vector compare instruction compares first and second operands and stores compare bits. A companion vector conditional instruction performs conditional operations based upon the state of a corresponding predicate data register bit. A predicate unit performs data processing operations on data in at least one predicate data register including unary operations and binary operations. The predicate unit may also transfer data between a general data register file and the predicate data register file.

Vector SIMD VLIW data path architecture

In an example, a device includes a register file; a set of functional units coupled to the register file; and an instruction decoder coupled to the register file and to the set of functional units. The instruction decoder receives an executable instruction directed to a specific functional unit of the set of functional unit. The executable instruction includes a segment specifying a register of the register file. The instruction decoder also provides the executable instruction to the specific functional unit. The specific functional unit then determines whether to execute the executable instruction based on a value stored in the register of the register file specified by the segment of the executable instruction.

Conditional execution specification of instructions using conditional extension slots in the same execute packet in a VLIW processor

A method includes receiving, by a memory management unit (MMU) comprising a translation lookaside buffer (TLB) and a configuration register, a request from a processor core to directly modify an entry in the TLB. The method also includes, responsive to the configuration register having a first value, operating the MMU in a software-managed mode by modifying the entry in the TLB according to the request. The method further includes, responsive to the configuration register having a second value, operating the MMU in a hardware-managed mode by denying the request.

Software-hardware memory management modes

In a very long instruction word (VLIW) central processing unit instructions are grouped into execute packets that execute in parallel. A constant may be specified or extended by bits in a constant extension instruction in the same execute packet. If an instruction includes an indication of constant extension, the decoder employs bits of a constant extension instruction to extend the constant of an immediate field. Two or more constant extension slots are permitted in each execute packet, each extending constants for a different predetermined subset of functional unit instructions. In an alternative embodiment, more than one functional unit may have constants extended from the same constant extension instruction employing the same extended bits. A long extended constant may be formed using the extension bits of two constant extension instructions.

Forming constant extensions in the same execute packet in a VLIW processor

In a method of operating a computer system, an instruction loop is executed by a processor in which each iteration of the instruction loop accesses a current data vector and an associated current vector predicate. The instruction loop is repeated when the current vector predicate indicates the current data vector contains at least one valid data element and the instruction loop is exited when the current vector predicate indicates the current data vector contains no valid data elements.

Tracking streaming engine vector predicates to control processor execution

Devices and methods are provided for identifying a debug event associated with a data element of a data stream, and performing debugging when a processor executes a software program in connection with the data stream. The debug event is tracked through a data pipeline to the processor. In an embodiment, the debug event is acted on only when the processor is ready to consume the data element associated with the debug event. In an embodiment, the debug event is determined by monitoring iteration counts of loop counters associated with an address generator and comparing the iteration counts to respective stored count values.

Tracking debug events from an autonomous module through a data pipeline

A stream of data is accessed from a memory system using a stream of addresses generated in a first mode of operating a streaming engine in response to executing a first stream instruction. A block cache management operation is performed on a cache in the memory using a block of addresses generated in a second mode of operating the streaming engine in response to executing a second stream instruction.

Cache management operations using streaming engine

In some examples, a circuit includes an interface configured to couple to a memory that includes a set of outputs to provide a set of data from the memory. The circuit further includes a rotator coupled to the interface that includes a first set of multiplexors that each include a set of inputs coupled to the set of outputs of the interface and an output. The circuit further includes a storage circuit coupled to the rotator that includes a register file coupled to the outputs of the first set of multiplexors an alignment network. The alignment network includes a second set of multiplexors that each include a set of inputs coupled to the register file and an output.

Storage organization for transposing a matrix using a streaming engine

A stream of data is accessed from a memory system by an autonomous memory access engine, converted on the fly by the memory access engine, and then presented to a processor for data processing. A portion of a lookup table (LUT) containing converted data elements is preloaded into a lookaside buffer associated with the memory access engine. As the stream of data elements is fetched from the memory system each data element in the stream of data elements is replaced with a respective converted data element obtained from the LUT in the lookaside buffer according to a content of each data element to thereby form a stream of converted data elements. The stream of converted data elements is then propagated from the memory access engine to a data processor.

Converting a stream of data using a lookaside buffer

In one embodiment, a system includes a memory and a processor core. The processor core includes functional units and an instruction decode unit configured to determine whether an execute packet of instructions received by the processing core includes a first instruction that is designated for execution by a first functional unit of the functional units and a second instruction that is a condition code extension instruction that includes a plurality of sets of condition code bits, wherein each set of condition code bits corresponds to a different one of the functional units, and wherein the sets of condition code bits include a first set of condition code bits that corresponds to the first functional unit. When the execute packet includes the first and second instructions, the first functional unit is configured to execute the first instruction conditionally based upon the first set of condition code bits in the second instruction.

A streaming engine in a system receives a first set of stream parameters into a queue to define a first stream along with an indication of either a queue mode of operation or a speculative mode of operation for the first stream. Acquisition of the first stream then begins. At some point, a second set of stream parameters is received into the queue to define a second stream. When the queue mode of operation was specified for the first stream, the second set of parameters is queued and acquisition of the second stream is delayed until completion of acquisition of the first stream. When the speculative mode of operation was specified for the first stream, acquisition of the first stream is canceled upon receipt of the second set of stream parameters and acquisition of the second stream begins immediately.

Mechanism to queue multiple streams to run on streaming engine

A method for debugging a software program is provided when the software program is executed on a processor. An asynchronous debug event is detected. The asynchronous debug event is tracked through a data pipeline to the processor. In one embodiment, the asynchronous debug event is acted on only when the processor is ready to consume a data element associated with the asynchronous debug event.

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Alviso, CA, United States of America

Joseph Raymond Michael Zbiciak