Simd with selective idling of individual processors based on stored conditional flags, and with consensus among all flags used for conditional branching

US5430854A · kind A · utility

Inventors

• David L. Sprague · Trenton, US
• Kevin Harney · Brooklyn, US
• Eiichi Kowashi · Lawrenceville, US
• Michael Keith · Holland, US
• Allen H. Simon · Montgomery, US
• Michael Papadopoulos · Burlington, US
• Walter P. Hays · Rumson, US
• George F. Salem · Cambridge, US
• Shih-Wei Shiue · Lexington, US
• Anthony P. Bertapelli · Phoenix, US
• Vitaly H. Shilman · Brookline, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Oct 27, 1993
• Grant date: Jul 4, 1995
• Expiry date: Oct 27, 2013

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G06F9/3863
• WIPO field: Computer technology
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

A data processing system having execution units for executing instruction sequences determines at least two conditionals in accordance with the instructions and sets respective flags according to the determined conditionals. These flags are stored and later retrieved sequentially and the execution unit executes selected instructions of the instruction sequence according to the sequentially retrieved mask flags. These masked flags may be stored sequentially in a stack for sequential retrieval at a later time.