Hierarchical Buffer System for Asynchronous Data Delivery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Modern computer systems face challenges in managing data flow and bandwidth as the number of processing cores increases, leading to bottlenecks in memory subsystems due to the multiplicative product of data bursts and outstanding read requests, which necessitates efficient buffering and pipelining strategies to maintain performance without introducing excessive latency or physical design costs.
Innovation Solution
A hierarchical buffer system with a cascaded structure, featuring 1st tier buffers and a 2nd tier transfer buffer that operates at precise delivery times to minimize data transfer gaps and handle asynchronous clock domains, reducing the number of required pipelining stages and multiplexing sources, while also supporting dual port loading to ensure gapless data transfers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the number of read buffers is increased to handle more data bursts, then the bandwidth capacity is improved, but the physical design cost and device complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the buffer system into a hierarchical structure with multiple tiers (first tier buffers and second tier buffers). Each tier handles a portion of the data bursts, segmenting the overall buffering function. This segmentation allows the system to achieve high bandwidth capacity without requiring a single large buffer that would be complex to design and implement.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a temporal dimension to the buffering architecture by implementing pipelining across multiple stages. Data flows through different buffer tiers at different times, creating a multi-stage pipeline that increases effective bandwidth without proportionally increasing the number of simultaneous buffers needed. This dimensional approach to buffering resolves the contradiction between bandwidth capacity and physical design complexity.
2Productivity
If sophisticated scheduling schemes are used to pipeline additional read operations, then the throughput is improved, but the latency of data delivery increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary actions by pre-positioning data in the buffer hierarchy before it is needed. The first tier buffers hold data ready for transfer to second tier buffers, and the system pre-pipelines read operations so that data is prepared in advance. This preliminary action allows the system to maintain high throughput while minimizing actual delivery latency when data is requested.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces intermediate buffer stages that act as mediators between the memory interface and the processor. These intermediate buffers (first tier and second tier buffers) absorb the timing differences and allow data to be transferred at optimal rates without forcing the processor to wait, thus improving throughput without significantly increasing end-to-end latency.
3Productivity
If additional pipelining stages are added to transport data, then the bandwidth is improved, but the device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple buffer functions into a unified hierarchical buffer chip architecture. Instead of implementing separate, complex pipelining stages as discrete components, the system combines first tier buffers, second tier buffers, and control logic into an integrated hierarchical structure. This merging approach achieves high bandwidth while simplifying manufacturing compared to assembling multiple separate pipelining stages.
4Speed
If the buffer chip operates at higher frequencies to match channel frequencies, then the data flow rate is improved, but the timing synchronization becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic frequency scaling and adaptive timing adjustment in the hierarchical buffer system. The buffer chip can operate at different frequencies depending on the specific data transfer requirements, and the control logic dynamically adjusts timing parameters to maintain synchronization. This dynamic approach allows high data flow rates when needed while managing timing synchronization complexity through adaptive control rather than fixed high-frequency operation.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides a system and method for controlling data entries in a hierarchical buffer system. The system includes an integrated circuit device with a memory core, a high speed upstream data bus, and a plurality of 1st tier buffers that receive data from the memory. The system further includes a 2nd tier transfer buffer spanning a plurality of asynchronous timing domains that delivers the data onto the upstream data bus to minimize gaps in a data transfer. The method includes managing the buffers to allow data to flow from a plurality of 1st tier buffers through a 2nd tier transfer buffer, and delivering the data onto a high speed data bus with pre-determined timing in a manner which minimizes latency to the extent that the returning read data beats are always transmitted contiguously with no intervening gaps.