Marvellworld Trade Ltd.

Marvell International Limited

Yu-Chi Chuang

Jack Kang

Hsi-Cheng Chu

A system, apparatus and method for multithread handling on a multithread processing device are described herein. Embodiments of the present invention provide a multithread processing device for multithread handling including a plurality of registers operatively coupled to an instruction dispatch block, including thread-control registers for selectively disabling threads. In various embodiments, the multithread processing device may include a thread-operation register for selectively providing a lock to a first thread to prevent a second thread from disabling the first thread while the first thread has the lock. In still further embodiments, the multithread processing device may be configured to atomically disable and release a lock held by a thread. Other embodiments may be described and claimed.

Disabling threads in multithread environment

A system, apparatus, and method for allocation mode switching on an event-driven basis are described herein. The allocation mode switching method includes detecting an event, selecting a bandwidth allocation mode associated with the detected event, and allocating a plurality of execution cycles of an instruction execution period of a processor core among a plurality of instruction execution threads based at least in part on the selected bandwidth allocation mode. Other embodiments may be described and claimed.

Method and apparatus for bandwidth allocation mode switching based on relative priorities of the bandwidth allocation modes

Systems, apparatuses, and methods for determinative branch prediction indexing are described herein. The determinative branch prediction indexing method includes receiving a program counter address for a branch instruction, dynamically selecting a branch indexing scheme from a plurality of branch indexing schemes, and generating a branch prediction index based at least in part on selected branch indexing scheme and the program counter address. Other embodiments may be described and claimed.

Determinative branch prediction indexing

Multithread handling

Techniques for handling interrupts of multiple instruction threads within a multi-thread processing environment. The techniques include: interleavingly fetching and issuing instructions of (i) a first instruction execution thread and (ii) a second instruction thread for execution by an execution block of the multi-thread processing environment; providing a first interrupt signal via a first interrupt signal line within the multi-thread processing environment to interrupt fetching and issuing of instructions of the first instruction execution thread; and providing a second interrupt signal via a second interrupt signal line within the multi-thread processing environment to interrupt fetching and issuing of instructions of the second instruction execution thread. The first interrupt signal line and the second interrupt signal line are physically separate and distinct signal lines that are directly electrically coupled to one another.

Interrupt handling

Event-based bandwidth allocation mode switching method and apparatus

A system, apparatus and method for an interleaving multi-thread processing device are described herein. The multi-thread processing device includes an execution block to execute instructions and a fetch block to fetch and issue instructions, interleavingly, of a first instruction execution thread and at least one other instruction execution thread. The fetch block includes at least one program counter, which is allocable and/or corresponds to each instruction execution thread.

Multi-thread processor with multiple program counters

A system, apparatus and method for instruction dispatch on a multi-thread processing device are described herein. The instruction dispatching method includes, in an instruction execution period having a plurality of execution cycles, successively fetching and issuing an instruction for each of a plurality of instruction execution threads according to an allocation of execution cycles of the instruction execution period among the plurality of instruction execution threads. Remaining execution cycles are subsequently used to successively fetch and issue another instruction for each of the plurality of instruction execution threads having at least one remaining allocated execution cycle of the instruction execution period. Other embodiments may be described and claimed.

Instruction dispatching method and apparatus

A system, apparatus and method for idling and waking threads by a multithread processing device are described herein. Embodiments of the present invention provide a multithread processing device for idling and waking threads including a scheduler configured to determine a bandwidth request mode of a first instruction execution thread and allocate zero execution cycles of an instruction execution period to the first instruction execution thread if the bandwidth request mode is an idle mode. In various embodiments, the multithread processing device may be configured to wake the first instruction thread by allocating one or more execution cycles to the first instruction execution thread if the bandwidth request mode is modified to a wake mode. Other embodiments may be described and claimed.

Method and apparatus for idling and waking threads by a multithread processor

A system, apparatus and method for interrupt handling on a multi-thread processing device are described herein. Embodiments of the present invention provide a multi-thread processing device for interrupt handling including an interrupt block to provide interrupt signals to a fetch block, including a first interrupt signal line corresponding to a first instruction execution thread and a second interrupt signal line corresponding to a second instruction execution thread. In embodiments, the multi-thread processing device may handle interrupts by providing a shared interrupt service routine for multiple threads or by providing each thread its own unique interrupt service routine.

Growing community of inventors

Jhubei, Taiwan

Yu-Chi Chuang