Advanced Micro Devices Corporation

Mark A Silla

Vydhyanathan Kalyanasundharam

Greggory D Donley

Gregg Donley

Ashwin Chincholi

Chris N Hinds

Systems, apparatuses, and methods for efficient data transfer in a computing system are disclosed. A source generates packets to send across a communication fabric (or fabric) to a destination. The source generates partition enable signals for the partitions of payload data. The source negates an enable signal for a particular partition when the source determines the packet type indicates the particular partition should have an associated asserted enable signal in the packet, but the source also determines the particular partition includes a particular data pattern. Routing components of the fabric disable clock signals to storage elements assigned to store the particular partition. The destination inserts the particular data pattern for the particular partition in the payload data.

Re-purposing byte enables as clock enables for power savings

An electronic device includes a queue with multiple sub-queues arranged in a logical hierarchy from a lowest sub-queue to a highest sub-queue, each sub-queue including a separate subset of a set of entries of the queue, and a separate age matrix for each sub-queue. The electronic device also includes a controller that stores items in entries in the lowest sub-queue until the lowest sub-queue is full and then stores items in successively next higher sub-queues in the hierarchy. The controller also removes an item that is ready for removal from an entry in the lowest sub-queue. The controller then shifts items in sub-queues in the hierarchy to fill the vacancy in the lowest sub-queue. For the shifting, the controller uses an age matrix associated with each sub-queue to determine an oldest item in that sub-queue and then moves the oldest item to a next lower sub-queue in the hierarchy.

Using age matrices for managing entries in sub-queues of a queue

A flip-flop with enhanced support for dynamic circuits. The flip-flop comprises at least one data input node along with at least one inverting and at least one non-inverting output node. A clock input node receives an external clock signal and transmits it to a clocking unit which, in turn, generates a clock signal therefrom for gating an input signal received at the data input node. A storage unit holds the input signal value upon assertion of the clock signal and simultaneously transmits that value in appropriate logic level to inverting and non-inverting outputs. It is understood that the inverting and non-inverting outputs represent complementary signal values as is normally known in the art. The flip-flop further comprises a clear input node which is coupled to an edge-sensitive quiescent state control unit. A predetermined logic state transition, i.e. high to low or low to high, of a control signal applied to the clear input node triggers the edge-sensitive quiescent state control unit which, in turn, drives the inverting and non-inverting nodes to an identical logic level, i.e. either quiescent high or quiescent low depending on the design considerations. A non-inverted output signal and/or an inverted output signal at the inverting and non-inverting nodes, respectively, may be used to control the discharge of a node in a dynamic circuit. Since each of the output signals is cleared to a quiescent state after the signal is applied as an input to the dynamic circuit, the output of the flip-flop will not erroneously cause discharge of the node of the dynamic circuit when the next edge of the clock signal occurs.

Enhanced flip-flop for dynamic circuits

A device for simultaneously detecting more than one condition, where each condition corresponds to a specific memory cell of an array of more than one memory cell, each specific memory cell of the array having a distinct index given by a first number of bits and a distinct associativity given by a second number of bits, each condition triggers a particular, distinct task, and each task, if more than one, is prioritized.

Condition detector and prioritizer with associativity determination logic

The invention is a device for determining an address of a modified line in a cache memory and retrieving a tag, a data, and a corresponding associativity to execute a copyback routine to an external memory for the modified line. The cache memory includes an attribute array, a tag array, and a data array. The device includes a priority lookahead encoder logic circuit which simultaneously checks a status bit in each line of the attribute array to determine whether one or more modified lines are indicated. The priority lookahead encoder logic circuit then prioritizes the modified lines, if more than one is detected, for purposes of a copyback routine writing the modified lines to external memory. The device then generates an address of external memory which corresponds to each of the modified lines as and when each becomes next in priority for copyback. Finally, the device retrieves and holds data which corresponds to each of the modified lines for copyback.

Growing community of inventors

Austin, TX, United States of America

Mark A Silla