N-way Interleave and De-interleave Operations in SIMD Processors
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current data processing systems face inefficiencies in performing three-way interleave and de-interleave operations, particularly in SIMD processors, due to the need for significant hardware and high latency when using existing methods, which impact performance and energy consumption.
Innovation Solution
A data processing apparatus and method that uses a register data store with processing circuitry and an instruction decoder to perform rearrangement operations using at least one rearrangement instruction, allowing for efficient N-way interleave and de-interleave operations by directly rearranging data elements between interleaved and de-interleaved orders within a register bank.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If existing methods using multiple zip/unzip instructions are used to perform three-way interleave operations, then the operations can be performed using standard two-way instructions, but the number of clock cycles increases significantly and performance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the three-way interleave operation into multiple two-way interleave stages. Each stage processes a subset of data elements using standard zip instructions, and the results are combined to achieve the final three-way interleave effect. This segmentation allows compatibility with existing two-way instructions while achieving the desired three-way reordering functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an additional processing dimension by using multiple source registers and combining their results. Instead of attempting to perform three-way interleave in a single operation, the solution processes data from multiple registers through sequential two-way operations, effectively adding a temporal dimension to the reordering process.
2Adaptability or versatility
If generic programmable permute networks are used to perform arbitrary permutations including three-way interleave, then flexibility is provided, but hardware complexity and resource requirements increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes standard two-way zip and unzip instructions universal by showing how they can be combined to achieve three-way interleave and de-interleave operations. This multi-functionality allows existing instructions to handle multiple reordering scenarios without requiring dedicated hardware for each specific permutation type, thereby reducing overall hardware complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses multiple copies of the same two-way interleave instruction operating on different register pairs to achieve the three-way interleave effect. Instead of implementing a complex single instruction, the solution creates multiple simpler instruction copies that work together, reducing the need for complex permute network hardware.
3Adaptability or versatility
If sequences of multiple instructions are used to perform three-way interleave, then the operations can be completed, but the number of instructions increases and energy consumption rises
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple two-way interleave operations into a coordinated sequence that efficiently achieves three-way interleave. By carefully combining the operations and optimizing the instruction sequence, the solution reduces the total number of instructions required compared to naive approaches, thereby lowering energy consumption while maintaining functionality.
Data Source
AI summary
A data processing apparatus and method are provided for performing rearrangement operations. The data processing apparatus has a register data store with a plurality of registers, each register storing a plurality of data elements. Processing circuitry is responsive to control signals to perform processing operations on the data elements. An instruction decoder is responsive to at least one but no more than N rearrangement instructions, where N is an odd plural number, to generate control signals to control the processing circuitry to perform a rearrangement process at least equivalent to: obtaining as source data elements the data elements stored in N registers of said register data store as identified by the at least one re-arrangement instruction; performing a rearrangement operation to rearrange the source data elements between a regular N-way interleaved order and a de-interleaved order in order to produce a sequence of result data elements; and outputting the sequence of result data elements for storing in the register data store. This provides a particularly efficient technique for performing N-way interleave and de-interleave operations, where N is an odd number, resulting in high performance, low energy consumption, and reduced register use when compared with known prior art techniques.