IP Reservoir, LLC

Washington University

Exegy Incorporated

Ron Kaplan Cytron

Mark Allen Franklin

Ronald S Indeck

Roger Dean Chamberlain

Sharath R Cholleti

David E Taylor

Benjamin Curry Brodie

David Edward Taylor

Jason R White

Benjamin M Brink

A system is disclosed that comprises a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a network interface, and hardware description code, wherein the hardware description code is compilable into a plurality of bit configuration files for loading onto the FPGA, wherein each bit configuration file defines a pipelined processing operation for a hardware template. The FPGA comprises configurable hardware logic, and the FPGA can be accessible over a network via the network interface for commanding the FPGA to load a bit configuration file from among the bit configuration files onto the FPGA to thereby configure hardware logic on the FPGA to perform the pipelined processing operation defined by the loaded bit configuration file, and wherein the FPGA is configured to (1) receive streaming data and (2) process the streaming data through the configured hardware logic to perform the pipelined processing operation defined by the loaded bit configuration file on the streaming data.

Intelligent data storage and processing using FPGA devices

A system is disclosed that comprises a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a network interface, and a plurality of hardware templates. The FPGA comprises configurable hardware logic, and the hardware templates define a plurality of different pipelined processing operations. The FPGA can be accessible over a network via the network interface for commanding the FPGA to load a hardware template from among the hardware templates onto the FPGA to thereby configure hardware logic on the FPGA to perform the pipelined processing operation defined by the loaded hardware template, and wherein the FPGA is configured to (1) receive streaming data and (2) process the streaming data through the configured hardware logic to perform the pipelined processing operation defined by the loaded hardware template on the streaming data.

A method and apparatus use hardware logic deployed on a reconfigurable logic device to process a stream of financial information at hardware speeds. The hardware logic can be configured to perform data reduction operations on the financial information stream. Examples of such data reductions operations include data processing operations to compute a latest stock price, a minimum stock price, and a maximum stock price.

Method and apparatus for processing financial information at hardware speeds using FPGA devices

Methods and systems are disclosed where an FPGA offloads a plurality of processing tasks from a processor. The FPGA can process streaming data received via a network interface, and the FPGA can be controllable in response to control instructions received from the processor. The FPGA comprises resident hardware logic for a plurality of data processing engines that are combinable as a processing pipeline within the FPGA. In response to the control instructions, the FPGA can control which of the data processing engines are activated and which of the data processing engines are deactivated to selectively tap into the streaming data to perform pipelined processing operations on the streaming data via the activated data processing engines. The deactivated data processing engines remain on the FPGA and provide a pass through path for the streaming data whereby the deactivated data processing engines do not perform processing operations on streaming data received thereby.

A multi-functional data processing pipeline is disclosed where the multi-functional pipeline comprises a plurality of pipelined data processing engines, the plurality of pipelined data processing engines being configured to perform processing operations. The multi-functional pipeline can be configured to controllably activate or deactivate each of the pipelined data processing engines in the pipeline in response to control instructions and thereby define a function for the pipeline, each pipeline function being the combined functionality of each activated pipelined data processing engine in the pipeline. In example embodiments, the pipelined data processing engines can include correlation logic, and such pipelines can be used to accelerate convolutional layers in machine-learning technology such as convolutional neural networks.

System and method for low latency multi-functional pipeline with correlation logic and selectively activated/deactivated pipelined data processing engines

Methods and systems are disclosed where a plurality of precompiled hardware templates are stored in memory, each of the hardware templates being configured for loading onto a re-configurable logic device such as a FPGA to define a data processing operation to be performed by the re-configurable logic device, each of the data processing operations defined by the precompiled hardware templates having an associated performance characteristic. A processor selects a precompiled hardware template from a plurality of the precompiled hardware templates in the memory for loading onto the re-configurable logic device based at least in part on the associated performance characteristics of the data processing operations defined by the precompiled hardware templates.

A re-configurable logic device such as a field programmable gate array (FPGA) can be used to deploy a data processing pipeline, the pipeline comprising a plurality of pipelined data processing engines, the plurality of pipelined data processing engines being configured to perform processing operations, wherein the pipeline comprises a multi-functional pipeline, and wherein the re-configurable logic device is further configured to controllably activate or deactivate each of the pipelined data processing engines in the pipeline in response to control instructions and thereby define a function for the pipeline, each pipeline function being the combined functionality of each activated pipelined data processing engine in the pipeline.

Methods and apparatuses for processing streaming data using programmable logic are disclosed. With an exemplary embodiment, a programmable logic device can be used to sort streaming data and provide a processor with access to the sorted data. With another exemplary embodiment, an Internet search engine can include a programmable logic device to perform match operations in response to search queries for web pages. With another exemplary embodiment, a programmable logic device is configured to perform match operations on streaming data while a processor is freed to perform other tasks.

Method and apparatus for processing streaming data using programmable logic

A re-configurable logic device such as a field programmable gate array (FPGA) can be used to deploy a data processing pipeline, the pipeline comprising a plurality of pipelined data processing engines, the plurality of pipelined data processing engines including a data reduction engine, the plurality of pipelined data processing engines being configured to perform processing operations, wherein the pipeline comprises a multi-functional pipeline, and wherein the re-configurable logic device is further configured to controllably activate or deactivate each of the pipelined data processing engines in the pipeline in response to control instructions and thereby define a function for the pipeline, each pipeline function being the combined functionality of each activated pipelined data processing engine in the pipeline.

Methods and apparatuses for processing data are disclosed, including methods and apparatuses that leverage a reconfigurable logic device to offload decompression and search operations from a processor to thereby enable high speed data searches within data that has been stored in a compressed format.

A method and apparatus for performing a matching operation on data are disclosed. With an exemplary embodiment, a programmable logic device can be used to search for data of interest to an application, where the programmable logic device processes streaming data against a data key to generate a signal indicative of a similarity between the streaming data and the data key and compares the generated signal with a defined threshold to thereby determine whether the streaming data is deemed a match to the data key, wherein the threshold is adjustable to control whether the programmable logic device performs an approximate match operation or an exact match operation, and further to control, for an approximate match operation, a degree of approximate matches returned by the approximate match operation.

Method and apparatus for adjustable data matching

A method and device are disclosed for an associative and approximate, analog or digital scanning of databases that allows for the asynchronous accessing of data from a mass storage medium. The invention includes providing dedicated analog and digital circuitry and decision logic at the mass storage medium level for determining a key identifying the data of interest, continuously comparing the key to a signal generated from a reading of the data from the mass storage medium with an approximate or exact matching circuit to determine a pattern match, determining a correlation value between the key and the data as it is read in a continuous fashion, and determining a match based upon a preselected threshold value for the correlation value. The pattern matching technique eliminates any need to compare data based on its intrinsic structure or value, and instead is based on an analog or digital pattern. The key and data may be either analog or digital. This device and method may be provided as part of a stand-alone computer system, embodied in a network attached storage device, or can otherwise be provided as part of a computer LAN or WAN.

Method and apparatus for approximate matching where programmable logic is used to process data being written to a mass storage medium and process data being read from a mass storage medium

A data storage and retrieval device and method is disclosed. The device includes at least one magnetic storage medium configured to store target data and at least one re-configurable logic device comprising an FPGA coupled to the at least one magnetic storage medium and configured to read a continuous stream of target data therefrom, having been configured with a template or as otherwise desired to fit the type of search and data being searched. The re-configurable logic device is configured to receive at least one search inquiry in the form of a data key and to determine a match between the data key and the target data as it is being read from the at least one magnetic storage medium. This device and method can perform a variety of searches on the target data including without limitation exact and approximate match searches, sequence match searches, image match searches and data reduction searches. This device and method may be provided as part of a stand-alone computer system, embodied in a network attached storage device, or can otherwise be provided as part of a computer LAN or WAN. In addition to performing search and data reduction operations, this device may also be used to perform a variety of other processing operations including encryption, decryption, compression, decompression, and combinations thereof.

Growing community of inventors

St. Louis, MO, United States of America

Ron Kaplan Cytron