18045577. Execution Circuitry for Floating-Point Power Operation simplified abstract (Apple Inc.)
Contents
- 1 Execution Circuitry for Floating-Point Power Operation
- 1.1 Organization Name
- 1.2 Inventor(s)
- 1.3 Execution Circuitry for Floating-Point Power Operation - A simplified explanation of the abstract
- 1.4 Simplified Explanation
- 1.5 Potential Applications
- 1.6 Problems Solved
- 1.7 Benefits
- 1.8 Potential Commercial Applications
- 1.9 Possible Prior Art
- 1.10 Original Abstract Submitted
Execution Circuitry for Floating-Point Power Operation
Organization Name
Inventor(s)
Ali Sazegari of Los Altos CA (US)
Segev Elmalem of Tel-Aviv (IL)
O-Cheng Chang of Cupertino CA (US)
Jingwei Zhang of Santa Clara CA (US)
Aaftab A. Munshi of Los Gatos CA (US)
Execution Circuitry for Floating-Point Power Operation - A simplified explanation of the abstract
This abstract first appeared for US patent application 18045577 titled 'Execution Circuitry for Floating-Point Power Operation
Simplified Explanation
The patent application describes dedicated power function circuitry for a floating-point power instruction, including base-2 logarithm circuitry, multiplication circuitry, and base-2 power function circuitry. Here are some key points to explain the innovation:
- Execution circuitry is configured to evaluate the power function x^2.
- Base-2 logarithm circuitry determines coefficients for a polynomial function to evaluate a base-2 logarithm for a first input (e.g., logx).
- Multiplication circuitry multiplies the base-2 logarithm result by a second input to generate a multiplication result.
- Base-2 power function circuitry evaluates a base-2 power function for the multiplication result.
Potential Applications
The technology could be applied in various fields such as scientific computing, engineering simulations, and machine learning algorithms that involve complex mathematical calculations.
Problems Solved
The innovation addresses the need for efficient and accurate floating-point power function operations, enhancing performance and reducing power consumption compared to traditional techniques.
Benefits
The dedicated power function circuitry offers improved performance, reduced power consumption, and reasonable area and accuracy for floating-point power function operations.
Potential Commercial Applications
Potential commercial applications include high-performance computing systems, scientific instruments, and data processing units that require fast and accurate mathematical computations.
Possible Prior Art
One possible prior art could be existing floating-point arithmetic units that perform power function operations using conventional techniques. However, these may not offer the same level of efficiency and accuracy as the dedicated power function circuitry described in the patent application.
Unanswered Questions
How does this technology compare to existing power function calculation methods in terms of speed and accuracy?
The article does not provide a direct comparison between the new dedicated power function circuitry and existing methods. Further research or testing may be needed to determine the performance differences.
What are the potential limitations or constraints of implementing this technology in practical applications?
The article does not discuss any potential limitations or constraints that may arise when implementing the dedicated power function circuitry in real-world systems. Additional information or case studies could shed light on these aspects.
Original Abstract Submitted
Techniques are disclosed relating to dedicated power function circuitry for a floating-point power instruction. In some embodiments, execution circuitry is configured to execute a floating-point power instruction to evaluate the power function xas 2. In some embodiments, base-2 logarithm circuitry is configured to evaluate a base-2 logarithm for a first input (e.g., logx) by determining coefficients for a polynomial function and evaluating the polynomial function using the determined coefficients and the first input. In some embodiments, multiplication circuitry multiplies the base-2 logarithm result by a second input to generate a multiplication result. In some embodiments, base-2 power function circuitry is configured to evaluate a base-2 power function for the multiplication result. Disclosed techniques may advantageously increase performance and reduce power consumption of floating-point power function operations with reasonable area and accuracy, relative to traditional techniques.
