Register file having a plurality of sub-register files

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9304934-B2
Application number	US-201414157805-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 17, 2014
Priority date	Jan 24, 2013
Publication date	Apr 5, 2016
Grant date	Apr 5, 2016

Abstract

Register files for use in an out-of-order processor that have been divided into a plurality of sub-register files. The register files also have a plurality of buffers which are each associated with one of the sub-register files. Each buffer receives and stores write operations destined for the associated sub-register file which can be later issued to the sub-register file. Specifically, each clock cycle it is determined whether there is at least one write operation in the buffer that has not been issued to the associated sub-register file. If there is at least one write operation in the buffer that has not been issued to the associated sub-register file, one of the non-issued write operations is issued to the associated sub-register file. Each sub-register file may also have an arbitration logic unit which resolves conflicts between read and write operations that want to access the associated sub-register file in the same cycle by prioritizing read operations unless a conflicting write instruction has reached commit time.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A register file for use in an out-of-order processor, the register file comprising:
a plurality of sub-register files, each sub-register file comprising at least one physical register; and
a plurality of buffers, each buffer being associated with a sub-register file and arranged to:
receive write operations destined for the associated sub-register file;
store each received write operation in the buffer;
receive a write value for each write opera…

Assignees

• Imagination Tech Ltd
• Imagination Tech Ltd

Inventors

• Jackson Hugh

Classifications

• G06F9/3012 Primary

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06F2212/452

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06F12/0875 Primary

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06F9/3838

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06F9/3854

  Physics · mapped topic