Scheduler Compression Logic for Micro-Operation Dispatch
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Solution Overview
Problem
In electronic devices, the scheduler bottleneck in micro-operation decoding and preparation circuitry leads to dispatch stalls due to limited scheduler entries, which is exacerbated by area constraints on semiconductor dies, making it difficult to increase capacity or reduce latency.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of scheduler compression logic that compresses pairs of micro-operations into single scheduler entries, allowing more micro-operations to be stored and dispatched efficiently by repurposing entry portions and using an opcode table to manage operational codes, thereby avoiding unnecessary delays and improving dispatch rates.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the number of scheduler entries is increased to reduce dispatch stalls, then the dispatch rate improves, but the area required on the semiconductor die increases and latency increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges pairs of micro-operations into a single scheduler entry by storing multiple micro-operations in different portions of the same entry. This combining approach allows the scheduler to hold more micro-operations without increasing the number of entries, thereby improving dispatch rate while avoiding additional area consumption and latency from expanded scheduler structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes scheduler entries multi-functional by enabling each entry to store multiple micro-operations (specifically pairs of micro-operations) in different portions. This universalization of entry capacity allows the same hardware structure to handle increased workload without physical expansion, resolving the contradiction between productivity and area.
2Productivity
If the number of scheduler entries is increased to reduce dispatch stalls, then the dispatch rate improves, but the latency for accessing micro-operations increases
Solution Approach 1:
By merging pairs of micro-operations into single scheduler entries, the patent reduces the total number of entries that need to be scanned and accessed. This combining strategy decreases access latency while maintaining higher dispatch rate, as the scheduler can retrieve multiple micro-operations from fewer entries more quickly.
3Productivity
If more micro-operations are stored in scheduler entries to avoid dispatch stalls, then productivity improves, but the complexity of managing scheduler entries increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments scheduler entries into different portions that can independently store different micro-operations. This segmentation allows systematic organization of multiple micro-operations within a single entry, making management predictable and structured. The segmentation approach improves productivity while keeping complexity manageable through regular, pattern-based storage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the storage capacity parameter of scheduler entries from one micro-operation per entry to multiple micro-operations per entry. This parameter change enables higher dispatch rate without proportionally increasing management complexity, as the same basic entry structure is reused with modified capacity rather than introducing fundamentally new management mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
An electronic device includes a processor having a micro-operation queue, multiple scheduler entries, and scheduler compression logic. When a pair of micro-operations in the micro-operation queue is compressible in accordance with one or more compressibility rules, the scheduler compression logic acquires the pair of micro-operations from the micro-operation queue and stores information from both micro-operations of the pair of micro-operations into different portions in a single scheduler entry. In this way, the scheduler compression logic compresses the pair of micro-operations into the single scheduler entry.