Processor Fused Operations for Translation Overhead Reduction
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current processor architectures face inefficiencies when translating instructions into operations, particularly in handling complex instructions and managing status flags, which can lead to suboptimal execution and increased resource utilization.
Innovation Solution
The solution involves a hardware translation agent within a processor that translates instructions from a reference architecture into a sequence of operations compatible with a target architecture, allowing for the execution of fused operations that combine the functionality of multiple instructions, thereby optimizing processor execution and reducing unnecessary state modifications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If instructions are translated into sequences of operations, then execution flexibility and optimization opportunities increase, but translation complexity and processing overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The translation process segments instructions into distinct operations (e.g., register operations, memory operations, flag operations) that can be independently optimized and executed. This segmentation allows the complex translation task to be broken down into manageable components, each handled by specialized translation agents.
Solution Approach 2:
A hardware translation agent acts as an intermediary between the instruction fetch unit and the execution unit, automatically translating instructions into operations. This intermediary component handles the complexity of translation centrally, allowing the rest of the processor to focus on execution without managing translation complexity.
2Manufacturing precision
If complex instructions are translated into multiple operations, then execution precision and control improve, but execution time and resource utilization increase
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple operations that can be executed together are merged into a single operation. For example, register operations and flag operations that depend on each other are combined into a single fused operation, reducing the total number of execution steps and improving throughput while maintaining precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The translation and execution process is dynamic, allowing the hardware translation agent to adaptively determine the optimal sequence and combination of operations based on the specific instruction and current processor state. This dynamic approach enables precision when needed while minimizing execution time through opportunistic optimizations.
3Reliability
If status flags are managed explicitly, then execution control and branching accuracy improve, but processing overhead and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
Flag operations are merged with register and memory operations into unified operations. When an operation modifies both registers and flags, this is done in a single atomic operation rather than separate steps, reducing overhead while maintaining accurate flag state management for branching decisions.
Solution Approach 2:
The hardware translation agent automatically manages flag state as a byproduct of executing operations, without requiring explicit flag manipulation instructions. The system self-services flag management by naturally producing correct flag states through the execution of translated operations, reducing complexity while maintaining reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
Reference architecture instructions are translated into target architecture operations. In some embodiments, an execution unit of a processor executes a function determined from a collection of operations, the function specifying functionality based on instructions, the collection selected from operations translated from the instructions. In further embodiments, the function is specified as a fused operation. Sequences of operations are optimized by fusing collections of operations; fused operations specify a same observable function as respective collections, but advantageously enable more efficient processing. In some embodiments, a collection comprises multiple register operations. Sequences of operations, in a predicted execution order in some embodiments, form traces. In some embodiments, fusing operations requires setting only final architectural state, such as final flag state; intermediate architectural state is used implicitly in a fused operation. In some embodiments, fused operations only set architectural state, such as high-order portions of registers, that is subsequently read before being written.