Apple inc. (20240103074). Functional Circuit Block Harvesting in Computer Systems simplified abstract
Functional Circuit Block Harvesting in Computer Systems
Organization Name
Inventor(s)
Peter A. Lisherness of Los Gatos CA (US)
Lior Zimet of Kerem Maharal (IL)
Functional Circuit Block Harvesting in Computer Systems - A simplified explanation of the abstract
This abstract first appeared for US patent application 20240103074 titled 'Functional Circuit Block Harvesting in Computer Systems
Simplified Explanation
A configurable computer system is described in the patent application. The system consists of processing blocks and programmable registers, with each register corresponding to at least one processing block. The computer system can receive a harvesting command to disable a group of processing blocks by writing a disable value to the corresponding registers. After booting, hardware circuits perform tasks utilizing the disabled processing blocks, and a power control circuit temporarily disables the group of processing blocks once the tasks are completed, configuring the system for a selected computing platform.
- The computer system includes processing blocks and programmable registers.
- Programmable registers correspond to processing blocks and can be disabled with a harvesting command.
- Hardware circuits perform tasks using disabled processing blocks after booting.
- A power control circuit temporarily disables processing blocks after tasks are completed.
Potential Applications
This technology could be applied in various fields such as:
- Embedded systems
- High-performance computing
- IoT devices
Problems Solved
This technology addresses issues related to:
- Configurability of computer systems
- Efficient utilization of processing blocks
- Adaptability to different computing platforms
Benefits
The benefits of this technology include:
- Flexibility in configuring computer systems
- Improved performance by utilizing specific processing blocks
- Energy efficiency by selectively disabling processing blocks
Potential Commercial Applications
The potential commercial applications of this technology could be seen in:
- Customizable computing platforms for different industries
- Server farms with dynamic processing block configurations
- Consumer electronics with adaptable processing capabilities
Possible Prior Art
One possible prior art for this technology could be the concept of reconfigurable computing systems that allow for dynamic changes in hardware configurations based on specific requirements.
Unanswered Questions
How does this technology compare to traditional fixed hardware configurations in terms of performance and efficiency?
This article does not provide a direct comparison between this technology and traditional fixed hardware configurations. Further research or testing would be needed to determine the performance and efficiency differences.
What are the potential limitations or drawbacks of temporarily disabling processing blocks in a computer system?
The article does not discuss any potential limitations or drawbacks of temporarily disabling processing blocks. It would be important to consider any negative impacts on system performance or functionality when implementing this feature.
Original Abstract Submitted
a configurable computer system is disclosed. the computer system includes a set of processing blocks and a set of programmable registers. a given one of the programmable registers corresponds to at least one of the processing blocks. the computer system is configured to receive a harvesting command that writes a disable value to a group of the programmable registers corresponding to a group of the set of processing blocks to be disabled for a selected computing platform of a plurality of different computing platforms. one or more hardware circuits are configured to perform tasks after a given boot of the computer system, the more tasks utilizing circuitry in the group of the set of processing blocks. a power control circuit is configured to, after tasks have been performed, temporarily disable the group of the set of processing blocks, thereby configuring the computer system for the selected computing platform.
