17957604. METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING MASK REGISTER OPTIMIZATION FOR VECTOR OPERATIONS simplified abstract (ADVANCED MICRO DEVICES, INC.)

METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING MASK REGISTER OPTIMIZATION FOR VECTOR OPERATIONS

Organization Name

ADVANCED MICRO DEVICES, INC.

Inventor(s)

MICHAEL Estlick of FORT COLLINS CO (US)

ERIC Dixon of FORT COLLINS CO (US)

THEODORE Carlson of FORT COLLINS CO (US)

ERIK D. Swanson of FORT COLLINS CO (US)

METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING MASK REGISTER OPTIMIZATION FOR VECTOR OPERATIONS - A simplified explanation of the abstract

This abstract first appeared for US patent application 17957604 titled 'METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING MASK REGISTER OPTIMIZATION FOR VECTOR OPERATIONS

Simplified Explanation

The abstract describes a data processing system with a vector data processing unit that includes a shared scheduler queue storing both mask type and vector type instructions. The system uses shared pipeline control logic to determine whether to control a vector data path or a mask data path based on the type of instruction in the queue.

• The system includes a vector data processing unit with a shared scheduler queue.
• The shared scheduler queue stores both mask type and vector type instructions.
• Shared pipeline control logic determines whether to control a vector data path or a mask data path based on the type of instruction in the queue.
• Instructions in the queue have corresponding source operands that index into both a mask register file and a vector register file.
• The shared pipeline control logic uses either the mask register file or the vector register file based on the source register bit field.

Potential Applications

This technology could be applied in:

• High-performance computing systems
• Data processing units in artificial intelligence applications

Problems Solved

This technology solves:

• Efficient processing of vector and mask instructions
• Optimized resource allocation in data processing systems

Benefits

The benefits of this technology include:

• Improved performance in data processing tasks
• Enhanced efficiency in handling different types of instructions

Potential Commercial Applications

The potential commercial applications of this technology include:

• Supercomputing systems
• AI accelerators

Possible Prior Art

One possible prior art for this technology could be:

• Previous data processing systems with separate handling of vector and mask instructions

How does this technology compare to existing data processing systems in terms of performance and efficiency?

This article does not provide a direct comparison between this technology and existing data processing systems.

What are the specific design considerations that went into creating the shared scheduler queue and pipeline control logic in this data processing system?

The article does not delve into the specific design considerations behind the shared scheduler queue and pipeline control logic.

Original Abstract Submitted

A data processing system includes a vector data processing unit that includes a shared scheduler queue configured to store in a same queue, at least one entry that includes at least a mask type instruction and another entry that includes at least a vector type instruction. Shared pipeline control logic controls a vector data path or a mask data path, based a type of instruction picked from the same queue. In some examples, at least one mask type instruction and the at least one vector type instruction each include a source operand having a corresponding shared source register bit field that indexes into both a mask register file and a vector register file. The shared pipeline control logic uses a mask register file or a vector register file depending on whether bits of the shared source register bit field identify a mask source register or a vector source register.