Hardware Micro-Fused Memory Operations for Processor Efficiency
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current processor architectures face challenges in efficiently performing memory operations, such as load and store operations, which are critical for processor performance, especially in workloads with large data sets, as existing methods like increasing hardware memory pipelines are costly and may degrade overall performance.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of hardware micro-fused memory operations, where a single atomic memory operation is performed using multiple data register operands, treated as separate operations for renaming but scheduled and executed as a single operation, reducing microarchitectural overhead and increasing efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If multiple hardware memory operation pipelines are added to increase memory operation performance, then memory operation speed is improved, but silicon area and operational complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple memory operations into a single fused memory operation that executes atomically. Instead of using separate memory pipelines for each operation, the system combines multiple loads or stores into one unified operation, reducing the number of pipelines needed while maintaining performance benefits.
Solution Approach 2:
The fused memory operation mechanism provides multi-functionality by handling multiple memory operations through a single instruction type. The architecture treats different memory operations uniformly, allowing the same hardware resources to service multiple operations simultaneously without requiring separate dedicated pipelines for each operation type.
2Speed
If multiple hardware memory operation pipelines are added to increase memory operation performance, then memory operation speed is improved, but silicon area increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple memory operations into a single fused memory operation that executes atomically. Instead of using separate memory pipelines for each operation, the system combines multiple loads or stores into one unified operation, reducing the number of pipelines needed while maintaining performance benefits.
3Loss of time
If memory operation latency is reduced to improve performance, then memory operation speed is improved, but overall clock frequency may be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary actions by preparing multiple memory operations in advance and executing them atomically in a single operation. This allows the processor to reduce latency for individual memory operations without compromising the overall clock frequency, as the atomic execution model enables better pipeline utilization and reduced blocking.
4Productivity
If multiple individual memory instructions are fused into a single larger memory operation, then instruction bandwidth is improved, but microarchitectural tracking overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple memory operations into a single fused memory operation that executes atomically. Instead of using separate memory pipelines for each operation, the system combines multiple loads or stores into one unified operation, reducing the number of pipelines needed while maintaining performance benefits.
Data Source
AI summary
Aspects disclosed include hardware micro-fused memory (e.g., load and store) operations. In one aspect, a hardware micro-fused memory operation is a single atomic memory operation performed using a plurality of data register operands, for example a load pair or store pair operation. The load pair or store pair operation is treated as two separate operations for purposes of renaming, but is scheduled as a single micro-operation having two data register operands. The load or store pair operation is then performed atomically.