US 10,379,814 B2 · Tininess prediction and handler engine for smooth handling of numeric underflow

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure include a tininess prediction and handler engine for handling numeric underflow while streamlining the data path for handling normal range cases, thereby avoiding flushes, and reducing the complexity of a scheduler with respect to how dependent operations are handled. A preemptive tiny detection logic section can detect a potential tiny result for the function or operation that is being performed, and can produce a pessimistic tiny indicator. The tininess prediction and handler engine can further include a subnormal post-processing pipe, which can denormalize and round one or more subnormal operations while in a post-processing mode. A schedule modification logic section can reschedule in-flight operations. The schedule modification logic section can issue dependent operations optimistically assuming that a producing operation will not produce a tiny result, and so will not incur extra latency associated with fixing the tiny result in the post-processing pipe.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A tininess prediction and handler engine, comprising:

a scheduler including a scheduler modification logic section configured to pick one or more floating point operations;
a pre-emptive tiny detection pipe coupled to the scheduler and configured to receive the picked one or more floating point operations, wherein the pre-emptive tiny detection pipe includes a pre-emptive tiny detection logic section configured to predict a subnormal result associated with the one or more floating point operations;
and
a subnormal post-processing pipe coupled to the pre-emptive tiny detection pipe, and configured to receive the one or more floating point operations while in a post-processing mode,
wherein the pre-emptive tiny detection pipe is configured to generate one or more internal format results associated with the one or more floating point operations;
and
wherein the subnormal post-processing pipe is configured to denormalize the one or more internal format results while in the post-processing mode.

4 more elements

A method for handling numeric underflow using a tininess prediction and handler engine, the method comprising:

picking, by a scheduler modification logic section of a scheduler, one or more floating point operations;
receiving, by a pre-emptive tiny detection pipe, the picked one or more floating point operations;
predicting, by a pre-emptive tiny detection logic section of the pre-emptive tiny detection pipe, a subnormal result associated with the one or more floating point operations;
receiving, by a subnormal post-processing pipe, the one or more floating point operations while in a post-processing mode:,
generating, by the pre-emptive tiny detection pipe, one or more internal format results associated with the one or more floating point operations;
and
denormalizing, by the subnormal post-processing pipe, the one or more internal format results while in the post-processing mode.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Tininess prediction and handler engine for smooth handling of numeric underflow

Life of this patent

Tininess prediction and handler engine for smooth handling of numeric underflow

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20