Instruction set for minimizing control variance overhead in dataflow architectures

An apparatus comprising:

• a dataflow processor comprising:
• an execution engine configured to execute instructions, the instructions comprising at least a generating instruction specifying at least an acknowledge predicate based on a first number, a second number, and a first value,
• wherein a true branch comprises the first number of consumer instructions of the generating instruction based on the first value, used as a first predicate, being true;
• and a false branch comprises a second number of consumer instructions of the generating instruction based on the first value, used as the first predicate, being false;
• and
• an enablement block configured to:
• evaluate the acknowledge predicate to be a selected number, wherein the selected number is the first number if the first value is true, or the second number if the first value is false;
• and
• fire the generating instruction when the selected number of acknowledge arcs are received from the true branch or the false branch, based on whether the first value is true or false, respectively.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising code, wherein the code comprises:

• a generating instruction to be executed in a processor, the generating instruction specifying at least an acknowledge predicate based on a first number, a second number, and a first value,
• wherein a true branch comprises the first number of consumer instructions of the generating instruction based on the first value, used as a first predicate, being true;
• and a false branch comprises a second number of consumer instructions of the generating instruction based on the first value, used as the first predicate, being false;
• code for evaluating the acknowledge predicate to be a selected number, wherein the selected number is the first number if the first value is true, or the second number if the first value is false;
• and
• code for firing the generating instruction when the selected number of acknowledge arcs are received from the true branch or the false branch, based on whether the first value is true or false, respectively.

An apparatus comprising:

• means for executing instructions in a dataflow processor, the instructions comprising at least a generating instruction specifying at least an acknowledge predicate based on a first number, a second number, and a first value,
• wherein a true branch comprises the first number of consumer instructions of the generating instruction based on the first value, used as a first predicate, being true;
• and a false branch comprises a second number of consumer instructions of the generating instruction based on the first value, used as the first predicate, being false;
• and
• means for evaluating the acknowledge predicate to be a selected number, wherein the selected number is the first number if the first value is true, or the second number if the first value is false;
• and
• means for firing the generating instruction when the selected number of acknowledge arcs are received from the true branch or the false branch, based on whether the first value is true or false, respectively.