Intel Corporation

Kameswar Subramaniam

Vedvyas Shanbhogue

Jonathan D Combs

Jason W Brandt

Christopher M Russell

Gilbert A Neiger

Bret L Toll

Andrew J Herdrich

Avinash N Ananthakrishnan

Yen-Cheng Liu

Eugene Gorbatov

H Peter Anvin

Ashok Raj

Russell Jerome Fenger

Willard M Wiseman

James Edward Phillips

Amy L Santoni

Deep K Buch

Jeffrey G Wiedemeier

Wing Shek Wong

Anthony Wojciechowski

Gordon McFadden

Eric Rasmussen

Eric Quintana

Ritesh Parikh

Systems, methods, and apparatuses relating to circuitry to implement a cross-lane packed data instruction on a partial (e.g., half) width processor with a minimal number of micro-operations are described. In one embodiment, a hardware processor core includes a decoder circuit to decode a single packed data instruction into only a first micro-operation and a second micro-operation, a packed data execution circuit to execute the first micro-operation and the second micro-operation, and a reservation station circuit coupled between the decoder circuit and the packed data execution circuit, the reservation station circuit comprising a first reservation station entry for the first micro-operation to store a first set of fields that indicate three or more input sources and a first destination, and a second reservation station entry for the second micro-operation to store a second set of fields to indicate three or more input sources and a second destination.

Methods, systems, and apparatuses to optimize cross-lane packed data instruction implementation on a partial width processor with a minimal number of micro-operations

In one embodiment, a processor includes: a front end circuit to fetch and decode a read list instruction, the read list instruction to cause storage to a memory of a software-provided list of processor state information; and an execution circuit coupled to the front end circuit. The execution circuit, in response to the decoded read list instruction, is to read the processor state information stored in the processor and store each datum of the processor state information into an entry of a data table in the memory. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

System, apparatus and methods for performant read and write of processor state information responsive to list instructions

Methods and apparatus relating to loop driven region based frontend translation control for performant and secure data-space guided micro-sequencing are described. In an embodiment, Data-space Translation Logic (DTL) circuitry receives a static input and a dynamic input and generates one or more outputs based at least in part on the static input and the dynamic input. A frontend counter generates a count value for the dynamic input based at least in part on an incremented/decremented counter value and a next counter value from the DTL circuitry. The DTL circuitry is capable to receive a new dynamic input prior to consumption of the one or more outputs. Other embodiments are also disclosed and claimed.

Loop driven region based frontend translation control for performant and secure data-space guided micro-sequencing

In one embodiment, software executing on a data processing system that is capable of performing dynamic operational mode transitions can realize performance improvements by predicting transitions between modes and/or predicting aspects of a new operational mode. Such prediction can allow the processor to begin an early transition into the target mode. The mode transition prediction principles can be applied for various processor mode transitions including 64-bit to 32-bit mode transitions, interrupts, exceptions, traps, virtualization mode transfers, system management mode transfers, and/or secure execution mode transfers.

Optimized mode transitions through predicting target state

In one embodiment, a processor includes a plurality of cores to execute instructions, a first identification register having a first field to store a feedback indicator to indicate to an operating system (OS) that the processor is to provide hardware feedback information to the OS dynamically and a power controller coupled to the plurality of cores. The power controller may include a feedback control circuit to dynamically determine the hardware feedback information for at least one of the plurality of cores and inform the OS of an update to the hardware feedback information. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

System, apparatus and method for providing hardware feedback information in a processor

In an embodiment, a processor includes at least one core, a power management unit having a first test register including a first field to store a test patch identifier associated with a test patch and a second field to store a test mode indicator to request a core functionality test, and a microcode storage to store microcode to be executed by the at least one core. Responsive to the test patch identifier, the microcode may access a firmware interface table and obtain the test patch from a non-volatile storage according to an address obtained from the firmware interface table. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Providing autonomous self-testing of a processor

A processor includes a microcode storage to store a first microcode subroutine and a microcode caller of the first microcode subroutine. The processor further includes a first microcode alias storage comprising a first plurality of microcode alias locations and a second microcode alias storage comprising a second plurality of microcode alias locations. The processor further includes a first logic, coupled to the first microcode alias storage and to the second microcode alias storage, wherein the first logic is configured to select a first one of a) the first microcode alias storage for storage of a parameter location in one of the first plurality of microcode alias locations or b) the second microcode alias storage for storage of the parameter location in one of the second plurality of microcode alias locations.

Context control and parameter passing within microcode based instruction routines

An apparatus including an execution logic that includes circuitry to execute instructions, and an instruction execution scheduler logic coupled with the execution logic. The instruction execution scheduler logic is to receive an execute at commit state update instruction. The instruction execution scheduler logic includes at commit state update logic that is to wait to schedule the execute at commit state update instruction for execution until the execute at commit state update instruction is a next instruction to commit. Other apparatus, methods, and systems are also disclosed.

Execute at commit state update instructions, apparatus, methods, and systems

Methods and apparatus for enhanced microcode address stack pointer manipulation are described. In some examples, the stacks are invisible to software. A microcode instruction pointer (UIP) and a next address to be accessed in a microcode storage unit may be generated based on an opcode of a microoperation, a marker, and a UIP stack address. The UIP stack address may be generated based on a signal and an immediate field of the microoperation.

Enhanced microcode address stack pointer manipulation

A computer, circuit, and computer-readable medium are disclosed. In one embodiment, the processor includes an instruction decoder unit that can decode a macro instruction into at least one micro-operation with a set of data fields. The resulting micro-operation has at least one data field that is in a compressed form. The instruction decoder unit has storage that can store the micro-operation with the compressed-form data field. The instruction decoder unit also has extraction logic that is capable of extracting the compressed-form data field into an uncompressed-form data field. After extraction, the instruction decoder unit also can send the micro-operation with the extracted uncompressed-form data field to an execution unit. The computer also includes an execution unit capable of executing the sent micro-operation.

Growing community of inventors

Austin, TX, United States of America

Kameswar Subramaniam