International Business Machines Corporation

Stamatis Vassiliaadis

Gerald George Pechanek

Larry D Larsen

Clair John Glossner

Daniel H McCabe

A multi-processor array organization is dynamically configured by the inclusion of a configuration topology field in instructions broadcast to the processors in the array. Each of the processors in the array is capable of performing a customized data selection and storage, instruction execution, and result destination selection, by uniquely interpreting a broadcast instruction by using the identity of the processor executing the instruction. In this manner, processing elements in a large multi-processing array can be dynamically reconfigured and have their operations customized for each processor using broadcast instructions.

Distributed processing array with component processors performing

An array processor topology reconfiguration system and method enables processor elements in an array to dynamically reconfigure their mutual interconnection for the exchange of arithmetic results between the processors. Each processor element includes an interconnection switch which is controlled by an instruction decoder in the processor. Instructions are broadcast to all of the processors in the array. The instructions are uniquely interpreted at each respective processor in the array, depending upon the processor identity. The interpretation of the commonly broadcast instruction is uniquely performed at each processor by combining the processor identity for the executing processor, with a value in the instruction. The resulting control signals from the instruction decoder to the interconnection switch, provides for a customized linkage between the executing processor and other processors in the array.

Selective processing and routing of results among processors controlled

A plurality of processor elements (PEs) are connected in a duster by a common instruction bus to a sequencing control unit with its associated instruction memory. Each PE has data buses connected to at least its four nearest PE neighbors, referred to as its North, South, East and West PE neighbors. Each PE also has a general purpose register file containing several operand registers. A common instruction is fetched from the instruction memory by the sequencing control unit and broadcast over the instruction bus to each PE in the cluster. The instruction includes an upcode value that controls the arithmetic or logical operation performed by an execution unit in the PE on one or more operands in the register file. A switch is included in each PE to interconnect it with a first PE neighbor as the destination to which the result from the execution unit is sent. The broadcast instruction includes a destination field that controls the switch in the PE, to dynamically select the destination neighbor PE to which the result is sent. Further, the broadcast instruction includes a target field that controls the switch in the PE, to dynamically select the operand register in the register file of the PE, to which another result received from another neighbor PE in the cluster is stored. In this manner, the instruction broadcast to all the PEs in the cluster, dynamically controls the communication of operands and results between the PEs in the cluster, in a single instruction, multiple data processor array.

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Zoetermeer, Netherlands

Stamatis Vassiliaadis