Mapping convolution to a channel convolution engine

A method, comprising:

• receiving a convolution operation instruction specifying a convolution data matrix and a set of convolution weight matrices;
• assigning a different portion of the convolution data matrix to each of a plurality of processing elements;
• transmitting a plurality of data elements corresponding to the different assigned portion of the convolution data matrix to each of the plurality of processing elements;
• broadcasting to each of the plurality of processing elements assigned a same channel of the convolution data matrix a same subset of the set of convolution weight matrices;
• receiving from the plurality of processing elements channel convolution result data elements of a channel convolution result matrix determined using hardware channel convolution processor units of the plurality of processing elements;
• and
• storing the channel convolution result matrix to a memory location;
• wherein at least one of the plurality of processing elements stores in a first group of registers data elements of a plurality of channels of a portion of the convolution data matrix, wherein each register of the first group of registers stores at least one data element from each of the plurality of channels, and the first group of registers is configured to retain data elements of the portion of the convolution data matrix across the plurality of channels from a first convolution processing iteration that overlap with data elements of a different portion of the convolution data matrix across the plurality of channels for a second convolution processing iteration.

A method, comprising:

• storing at a hardware processing element in a first group of registers data elements of a plurality of channels of a first portion of a convolution data matrix, wherein each register of the first group of registers stores at least one data element from each of the plurality of channels;
• storing at the hardware processing element in a second group of registers data elements of a subset of a set of convolution weight matrices including a separate convolution weight matrix for each of the plurality of channels, wherein each register of the second group of registers stores at least one data element from each of the subset of the set of convolution weight matrices;
• for each data element in the first group of registers, multiplying the data element in the first group of registers with a corresponding data element in the second group of registers to determine a corresponding multiplication result in multiplication results;
• for each specific channel of the plurality of channels, summing together ones of the multiplication results corresponding to the specific channel to determine at least one corresponding channel convolution result data element in a corresponding channel convolution result matrix;
• saving in the first group of registers data elements that overlap between the first portion of the convolution data matrix and a second portion of the convolution data matrix;
• and
• storing in the first group of registers a three-dimensional slice of data elements of a plurality of channels of the second portion of the convolution data matrix, wherein the data elements of the three-dimensional slice are different from the data elements of the first portion of the convolution data matrix.