Heterogeneous parallel multithread processor (HPMT) with local context memory sets for respective processor type groups and global context memory

US7263604B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Infineon Technologies AG · DE

Inventors

• Lajos Gazsi · Düsseldorf, DE
• Jinan Lin · Ottobrunn, DE
• Soenke Mehrgardt · Teningen, DE
• Xiaoning Nie · Birkenfeld, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Feb 24, 2005
• Grant date: Aug 28, 2007
• Expiry date: May 18, 2025

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G06F9/3891
• WIPO field: Computer technology
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

The invention relates to a heterogeneous parallel multithread processor (1) with shared contexts which has a plurality (M) of parallel-connected standard processor root unit types (2p; p∈ [1, . . . , M]), where each respective standard processor root unit type (2p) has at least one or more (K) parallel-connected standard processor root units (2pq; q∈ [1, . . . , K]) for instruction execution of program instructions from various threads (T), each standard processor root unit type (2p) having N local context memories (32pt) which each buffer-store part of a current processor state for a thread. The multithread processor (1) also has a plurality (N) of global context memories (3t; t∈ [1, . . . , N]) which each buffer-store part of a current processor state for a thread, and a thread control unit (4) which can connect any standard processor root unit (2pq) to any global context memory (3t).