Dynamic Processor Instruction Simplification via Register Tracking
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current processor architectures are unable to dynamically simplify instructions based on register values during execution, leading to higher latency and inefficiencies due to unresolved read-after-write dependencies and the inability to leverage value-locality for instruction simplification.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of an instruction simplification register file (ISRF) and an instruction simplification table (IST) within the processor pipeline allows for dynamic instruction simplification by tracking values-of-interest in registers and providing lower-latency alternatives, enabling the replacement of higher-latency instructions with simpler ones during instruction scheduling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If compilers statically simplify instructions based on known operand values, then instruction latency is reduced, but the capability to simplify instructions is lost when register values change during execution
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically determines at runtime whether instructions can be simplified by checking if their operands contain values of interest (0 or 1). The instruction simplification register file tracks which registers hold these special values, and the instruction simplification table provides alternative simplified instructions. This dynamic approach allows the processor to adaptively simplify instructions based on actual register values during execution, resolving the contradiction between static simplification efficiency and dynamic adaptability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If an instruction simplification register file is implemented to track register values, then dynamic instruction simplification is enabled, but device complexity and area increase
Solution Approach 1:
The instruction simplification register file is merged with the existing architectural register file, allowing both value tracking and traditional register operations to coexist in a unified structure. This integration reduces the need for completely separate hardware components. Additionally, the system leverages existing processor structures such as the instruction cache and decoder, combining them with the new simplification logic to minimize overall device complexity while enabling dynamic instruction simplification.
3Productivity
If register values are accessed during instruction scheduling, then instruction simplification opportunities are identified, but access complexity to register values increases
Solution Approach 1:
The instruction simplification register file acts as an intermediary between the architectural register file and the instruction scheduling logic. Instead of requiring direct complex access to register values during scheduling, the ISRF pre-processes and tracks which registers contain values of interest, providing this information to the scheduler in a simplified manner. This intermediary structure enables efficient identification of simplification opportunities without directly increasing the complexity of register value access mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided methods and devices for dynamically simplifying processor instructions. A method includes receiving, at a computing device, processor instructions and determining, by the computing device, if instruction simplification is enabled for an instruction being processed. The method further includes determining, by the computing device, from an instruction simplification table if the instruction is capable of being simplified and scheduling, by the computing device, a simplified instruction based on the determination from the instruction simplification table. A device includes a processor, and a non-transient computer readable memory having stored thereon instructions which when executed by the processor configure the device to execute the methods disclosed herein.