Software scoreboard information and synchronization

US10360654B1 · kind B1 · utility

Assignee

• Intel Corporation · US

Inventors

• Subramaniam Maiyuran · Citrus, US
• Supratim Pal · Bengaluru, IN
• Jorge Parra · Cameron Park, US
• Chandra Gurram · Folsom, US
• Ashwin J. Shivani · Cameron Park, US
• Ashutosh Garg · Sunnyvale, US
• Brent A. Schwartz · Sacramento, US
• Jorge F. Garcia Pabon · Folsom, US
• Darin Starkey · Roseville, US
• Shubh Shah · Folsom, US
• Guei-Yuan Lueh · San Jose, US
• Kaiyu Chen · San Jose, US
• Konrad Trifunovic · Mierzyn, PL
• Buqi Cheng · San Jose, US
• Weiyu Chen · San Jose, US

Key dates

• Filing date: May 25, 2018
• Grant date: Jul 23, 2019
• Expiry date: May 25, 2038

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G09G5/363
• WIPO field: Computer technology
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

Embodiments described herein provide a graphics processor in which dependency tracking hardware is simplified via the use of compiler provided software scoreboard information. In one embodiment the shader compiler for shader programs is configured to encode software scoreboard information into each instruction. Dependencies can be evaluated by the shader compiler and provided as scoreboard information with each instruction. The hardware can then use the provided information when scheduling instructions. In one embodiment, a software scoreboard synchronization instruction is provided to facilitate software dependency handling within a shader program. Using software to facilitate software dependency handling and synchronization can simplify hardware design, reducing the area consumed by the hardware. In one embodiment, dependencies can be evaluated by the shader compiler instead of the GPU hardware. The compiler can then insert a software scoreboard sync immediate instruction into compiled program code to manage instruction dependencies and prevent data hazards from occurring.