Processor Scheduler Super Operation Collapsing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Schedulers in processors often become full with operations that are not ready to be executed, leading to underutilization of execution resources and decreased performance, as increasing the scheduler size is costly and inefficient.
Innovation Solution
The method involves collapsing sequences of operations into super operations, which are then dispatched to the scheduler, reducing the space required in the scheduler and allowing for more efficient use of execution resources without increasing the scheduler size.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If the scheduler size is increased to hold more operations, then the scheduler can store more operations ready for execution, but the physical size and cost of the scheduler increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple operations that form a collapsible sequence are merged into a single super operation. The super operation circuit identifies sequences of operations that can be collapsed and creates a representative super operation that stands in for the entire sequence in the scheduler, reducing the number of scheduler entries needed while preserving execution capability.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of storing each individual operation in the scheduler, a simplified copy or representation (the super operation) is stored. The super operation contains enough information to reconstruct or retrieve the original sequence when executed, allowing the scheduler to work with compact representations rather than full operation details.
2Productivity
If the scheduler size is increased to reduce underutilization of execution resources, then more operations can be dispatched, but the cost and complexity of the scheduler increases
Solution Approach 1:
The super operation circuit merges multiple operations into a single super operation that represents the entire collapsible sequence. This reduction in the number of scheduler entries improves execution resource utilization by ensuring the scheduler isn't full of non-ready operations, while the merging process itself simplifies the scheduler's workload and complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The collapsing of operations into super operations is performed in advance, before dispatch to the scheduler. The super operation circuit pre-processes operation sequences, identifying collapsible patterns and creating super operations beforehand. This preliminary action ensures that when operations reach the scheduler, they are already in an optimized form that maximizes utilization without requiring the scheduler to perform complex operations.
3Productivity
If more operations are held in the scheduler, then more operations can be picked when execution resources are free, but the queue pressure increases and power efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple operations are merged into a single super operation, reducing the total number of operations that need to be managed in the scheduler queue. This consolidation reduces queue pressure and the associated power consumption while maintaining the capability to pick and execute operations efficiently when execution resources become available.
Solution Approach 2:
The super operation circuit extracts the essential characteristics of a collapsible sequence of operations and isolates them into a single super operation. By taking out only the necessary information needed to represent the sequence, the system reduces the amount of data that needs to be stored and managed in the scheduler, thereby reducing power consumption associated with queue management while preserving the ability to execute the full sequence when needed.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for collapsing operations into super operations in a computing system includes dispatching a super operation corresponding to a collapsible sequence of operations to a scheduler, performing a lookup in a super operation table for the collapsible sequence of operations in response to the super operation being picked from the scheduler, and multi-pumping the collapsible sequence of operations to a pipe operationally coupled to the scheduler. For example, the multi-pumped collapsible sequence of operations may then be sequentially executed by an execution unit. The collapsible sequence of operations may be identified as collapsible according to a set of rules.