Hardware Decompression Copy Engine Sequence Overlap

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current decompression technologies face inefficiencies in managing dependencies between literals and sequences during decompression, leading to significant execution time and memory transaction bottlenecks, especially in handling large data sets like those encountered in AI workloads.

Innovation Solution

A hardware decompression copy engine is introduced, which includes a sequence pre-processor and a copy engine that optimizes the relationship between literals and sequences by identifying overlapping regions and generating copy instructions to read and write decompressed data efficiently, allowing multiple copy operations to be executed in parallel.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If traditional decompression methods are used to handle literals and sequences, then the decompression function is achieved, but execution time increases and memory transaction bottlenecks occur

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedecompression speedVSAvoidexecution time

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The decompression process is segmented into independent copy operations that can be executed in parallel. The copy engine divides the decompression task into multiple literal and sequence copy operations, each with independent source and destination addresses, allowing simultaneous execution without dependency bottlenecks.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The sequence pre-processor performs preliminary analysis of sequences before copy execution, identifying overlapping regions and generating optimized copy instructions in advance. This preliminary action prepares the copy engine with pre-computed copy parameters, reducing execution time during actual decompression.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Productivity

If sequential copy operations are executed for literals and sequences, then dependency management is simplified, but memory transaction bottlenecks increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvememory operation efficiencyVSAvoiddependency management complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Multiple sequence copy operations are merged into a single unified copy operation when they share common source or destination regions. The sequence pre-processor combines overlapping sequences into merged copy instructions, reducing the total number of memory transactions while the copy engine handles the merged operation atomically.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Loss of time

If multiple copy operations are executed in parallel, then execution time is reduced, but dependency management between literals and sequences becomes complex

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveparallel execution timeVSAvoiddependency resolution complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of timeVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The sequence pre-processor acts as an intermediary between the compressed data and the copy engine, resolving dependencies before parallel execution. It analyzes sequence dependencies, determines safe parallel execution boundaries, and generates copy instructions with embedded dependency information, allowing the copy engine to execute in parallel without conflict.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

4Productivity

If traditional decompression approaches are used, then implementation is straightforward, but memory transactions increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedecompression throughputVSAvoidmemory transaction volume

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a new dimension of sequence analysis by examining sequences across multiple dimensions (overlapping regions, common sources, shared destinations). The sequence pre-processor analyzes sequences in this extended dimensional space to identify optimization opportunities that reduce memory transaction volume while maintaining decompression correctness.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Data Source

PatentUS20250004772A1Method and apparatus for decompression hardware copy engine with efficient sequence overlapping copy

Publication Date: 2025.01.02 INTEL CORP

AI summary

Apparatus and method for a decompression hardware copy engine with efficient sequence overlapping copy. For example, one embodiment of an apparatus comprises: a plurality of processing cores, one or more of the plurality of processing cores to execute program code to produce a plurality of literals and sequences from a compressed data stream; and decompression acceleration circuitry to generate a decompressed data stream based on the plurality of literals and sequences, the decompression acceleration circuitry comprising: a sequence pre-processor circuit to process batches of sequences of the plurality of sequences and generate a plurality of copy instructions, the sequence pre-processor circuit to merge multiple copy operations corresponding to multiple sequences into a merged copy instruction; and a copy engine circuit to execute the copy instructions to produce the decompressed data stream.