Variable-Length Instruction Boundary Prediction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current processor architectures face challenges in improving performance due to inefficiencies in pipeline stages, particularly in determining instruction boundaries for variable-length instruction sets, which can lead to delayed execution and reduced performance.
Innovation Solution
An instruction processing device and method that includes an instruction boundary prediction unit to add prediction information to instruction meta-fields, allowing the instruction fetch unit to determine instruction boundaries quickly, thereby avoiding the need for additional pipeline stages and enhancing processing efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If additional pipeline stages are added to optimize instruction fetch, then instruction boundary determination accuracy is improved, but processor performance deteriorates due to increased pipeline depth and time sequence requirement failures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by adding prediction information to instruction meta-fields during the instruction fetch stage before full decoding occurs. The instruction boundary prediction unit pre-determines potential instruction boundaries using prediction information embedded in meta-fields, allowing the system to anticipate instruction boundaries ahead of time without adding pipeline stages. This resolves the contradiction by performing boundary determination work in advance during fetch, maintaining accuracy while preserving processor performance.
2Device complexity
If instruction boundary determination is performed without prediction information, then device complexity is reduced, but time consumption increases due to lack of optimized instruction fetch
Solution Approach 1:
The patent embeds prediction information directly into instruction meta-fields during the fetch stage, performing preliminary boundary prediction work before full instruction decoding. This allows the instruction boundary determination unit to quickly identify boundaries using pre-computed prediction information, significantly reducing instruction fetch time without requiring complex additional hardware structures beyond the prediction unit and modified meta-fields.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces prediction information as an intermediary element that mediates between the raw instruction packet and the instruction boundary determination process. This prediction information, embedded in meta-fields, serves as a intermediate representation that guides the boundary determination unit, reducing the computational complexity of boundary detection while maintaining accuracy, thus balancing device complexity and time consumption.
3Ease of operation
If variable-length instruction sets are processed using traditional fixed pipeline stages, then instruction fetch simplicity is maintained, but execution efficiency deteriorates due to inability to meet time sequence requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent maintains the simplicity of traditional fixed pipeline stages by embedding prediction information directly into existing instruction meta-fields during the fetch stage. This preliminary annotation of prediction information allows variable-length instructions to be processed efficiently through the existing pipeline structure without requiring complex dynamic pipeline adjustments, thus maintaining operational simplicity while dramatically improving execution efficiency for variable-length instruction sets.
Data Source
AI summary
An instruction processing device and an instruction processing method are disclosed. The instruction processing device includes: an instruction boundary prediction unit including circuitry configured to acquire an instruction packet of a variable-length instruction set and to add instruction prediction information to a plurality of instruction meta-fields in the instruction packet; and an instruction pipeline structure comprising an instruction fetch unit including an instruction boundary determination unit including circuitry configured to determine instruction boundary information according to the instruction prediction information to obtain one or more instructions in the instruction packet.