Very long instruction word (VLIW) processor with power management, and apparatus and method of power management therefor

• US 8,769,245 B2
• Filed: 05/20/2011
• Issued: 07/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Inventors: Tung, Shing-Wu, Hsieh, Hsien-Ching, Huang, Po-Han
• Primary Examiner(s): Coleman, Eric
• Application Number:
  US13/112,307
• Publication Number:
  US 20120151192A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,138 Days
• US Class Current: 712/24
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3237 by disabling clock generation or distribution
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3287 by switching off individual functional units in the computer system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3296 by lowering the supply or operating voltage
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/30076 to perform miscellaneous control operations, e.g. NOP
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/3017 Runtime instruction translation, e.g. macros
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/30181 Instruction operation extension or modification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/38 Concurrent instruction execution, e.g. pipeline or look ahead
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/3853 of compound instructions
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/3867 using instruction pipelines
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/3885 using a plurality of independent parallel functional units
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A very long instruction word (VLIW) processor and an apparatus with power management and a method of power management therefor are provided in consistent with the exemplary embodiments of the disclosure. The power management method includes the following steps. Valid instruction(s) and no operation (NOP) instruction(s) of an input instruction package are rearranged to output a transcoded instruction package, wherein the transcoded instruction package by the rearrangement has its NOP instruction(s) corresponding to at least one execution unit, which is to be placed in power reduction state, of a VLIW processor. Power reduction control is selectively performed on at least one execution unit corresponding to at least one NOP instruction of the transcoded instruction package according to the transcoded instruction package.

Claims

1. A power management apparatus, for use in a very long instruction word (VLIW) processor, wherein the power management apparatus comprises:

an instruction transcoder for rearranging valid instruction(s) and no operation (NOP) instruction(s) of an input instruction package to output a transcoded instruction package, wherein the transcoded instruction package by the rearrangement has its NOP instruction(s) corresponding to at least one execution unit, which is to be placed in power reduction state, of a VLIW processor; and

a power reduction controller for selectively performing power reduction control on the at least one execution unit corresponding to at least one NOP instruction of the transcoded instruction package, according to the transcoded instruction package.

2. The power management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the instruction transcoder checks relationship between positions of the valid instruction(s) and NOP instruction(s) of the input instruction package, and rearranges the positions of the valid instruction(s) and NOP instruction(s) of the input instruction package to output the transcoded instruction package.

3. The power management apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the instruction transcoder comprises:

an instruction shift determination device for checking the relationship between the positions of the valid instruction(s) and NOP instruction(s) of the input instruction package; and

an instruction rearrangement device for performing shift operation on the positions of the valid instruction(s) and NOP instruction(s) of the input instruction package, according to a result of positional relationship obtained by the instruction shift determination device through checking, to output the transcoded instruction package.

4. The power management apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the result of positional relationship obtained through checking comprises a corresponding shift value and an instruction slot number in the input instruction package for each valid instruction of the input instruction package.

5. The power management apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the instruction shift determination device, according to a sequence, checks whether an instruction of the input instruction package is an NOP instruction, and accumulates the number of NOP instruction(s), and when an instruction is determined as a valid instruction, the accumulated number of NOP instruction(s) is a shift value of the valid instruction;

the instruction rearrangement device, according to the shift value, performs a shift operation on the valid instruction for positioning the valid instruction around a position in the transcoded instruction package.

6. The power management apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the sequence that the instruction shift determination device follows starts from an instruction of an end of the input instruction package to an instruction of another end of the input instruction package consecutively.

7. The power management apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the sequence that the instruction shift determination device follows starts from an instruction at an end of the input instruction package to an instruction of the input instruction package consecutively or starts from an instruction of the input instruction package to an instruction at an end of the input instruction package consecutively.

8. The power management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the power reduction controller, according to the transcoded instruction package, selectively performs clock gating control to reduce power consumption for the at least one execution unit corresponding to the at least one NOP instruction of the transcoded instruction package.

9. The power management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the power reduction controller, according to the transcoded instruction package, selectively provides a voltage lower than an original operating voltage to the at least one execution unit corresponding to the at least one NOP instruction of the transcoded instruction package to reduce power consumption.

10. The power management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the power reduction controller accumulates the number of the NOP instruction(s) of the transcoded instruction package corresponding to at least one execution unit, which is to be placed in power reduction state;

if the accumulated number satisfies a threshold value, the power reduction controller selectively provides a voltage lower than an original operating voltage to the at least one execution unit, which is to be placed in power reduction state, to reduce power consumption.

11. The power management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the instruction transcoder further outputs an instruction validation information to indicate whether each instruction slot of the transcoded instruction package is a valid instruction or an NOP instruction;

the power reduction controller selectively performs power reduction control according to the instruction validation information.

12. A power management method, for use in a VLIW processor, wherein the power management method comprises:

rearranging valid instruction(s) and no operation (NOP) instruction(s) of an input instruction package to output a transcoded instruction package, wherein the transcoded instruction package by the rearrangement has its NOP instruction(s) corresponds to at least one execution unit, which is to be placed in power reduction state, of a VLIW processor; and

selectively performing power reduction control on the at least one execution unit corresponding to the at least one NOP instruction of the transcoded instruction package, according to the transcoded instruction package.

13. The power management method according to claim 12, wherein the rearrangement step comprises:

checking the input instruction package to obtain relationship between positions of the valid instruction(s) and NOP instruction(s) of the input instruction package; and

performing a shift operation on the positions of the valid instruction(s) and NOP instruction(s) of the input instruction package according to the result of positional relationship obtained through checking to output the transcoded instruction package.

14. The power management method according to claim 13, wherein the result of positional relationship obtained through checking comprises a corresponding shift value and an instruction slot number in the input instruction package for each valid instruction of the input instruction package.

15. The power management method according to claim 13, wherein:

the step of checking the input instruction package comprises;

checking whether an instruction of the input instruction package is an NOP instruction(s) according to a sequence, and accumulating the number of NOP instruction(s), wherein when an instruction is determined as a valid instruction, the accumulated number of NOP instruction(s) is a shift value of the valid instruction; and

the step of performing shift operation comprises;

performing a shift operation to the valid instruction according to the shift value for positioning the valid instruction around a position in the transcoded instruction package.

16. The power management method according to claim 15, wherein the sequence starts from an instruction at an end of the input instruction package to an instruction at another end of the input instruction package consecutively.

17. The power management method according to claim 15, wherein the sequence starts from an instruction at an end of the input instruction package to an instruction of the input instruction package consecutively or starts from an instruction of the input instruction package to an instruction at an end of the input instruction package consecutively.

18. The power management method according to claim 12, wherein the step of selectively performing power reduction control comprises:

selectively performing clock gating control on the at least one execution unit corresponding to the at least one NOP instruction of the transcoded instruction package according to the transcoded instruction package to reduce the power consumption of the at least one execution unit.

19. The power management method according to claim 12, wherein the step of selectively performing power reduction control comprises:

selectively providing a voltage lower than an original operating voltage to the at least one execution unit corresponding to the at least one NOP instruction of the transcoded instruction package according to the transcoded instruction package to reduce power consumption.

20. The power management method according to claim 12, wherein the step of selectively performing power reduction control comprises:

accumulating the number of the NOP instruction(s) of the transcoded instruction package corresponding to at least one execution unit, which is to be placed in power reduction state; and

selectively providing a voltage lower than an original operating voltage to the at least one execution unit, which is to be placed in power reduction state, to reduce power consumption if the accumulated number satisfies a threshold value.

21. The power management method according to claim 12, wherein the rearrangement step further outputs an instruction validation information to indicate whether each instruction slot of the transcoded instruction package is a valid instruction or an NOP instruction;

and in the step of selectively performing power reduction control, power reduction control is selectively performed according to the instruction validation information.

22. A very long instruction word (VLIW) processor, comprising:

a read operand stage;

a plurality of execution units coupled to the read operand stage;

an instruction transcoder, wherein the read operand stage is coupled between the instruction transcoder and the execution units, the instruction transcoder rearranges valid instruction(s) and no operation (NOP) instruction(s) of an input instruction package to output a transcoded instruction package, which is executed by the execution units, and the transcoded instruction package by the rearrangement has its NOP instruction(s) corresponding to at least one of the execution units, which is to be placed in power reduction state; and

a power reduction controller for selectively performing power reduction control on the at least one execution unit corresponding to at least one NOP instruction of the transcoded instruction package according to the transcoded instruction package.

23. The VLIW processor according to claim 22, wherein the instruction transcoder checks relationship between positions of the valid instruction(s) and NOP instruction(s) of the input instruction package, and rearranges the positions of the valid instruction(s) and NOP instruction(s) of the input instruction package to output the transcoded instruction package.

24. The VLIW processor according to claim 23, wherein the result of positional relationship obtained through checking comprises a corresponding a shift value and an instruction slot number in the input instruction package for each valid instruction of the input instruction package.

25. The VLIW processor according to claim 24, wherein the read operand stage comprises:

a first switch circuit;

a plurality of register files coupled to the first switch circuit, wherein each register file corresponds to an execution unit;

a second switch circuit, wherein the register files is coupled between the first switch circuit and the second switch circuit; and

a decoder, which, according to a result of positional relationship obtained through checking, controls the first switch circuit and the second switch circuit to transmit a corresponding register address or data of each instruction of the transcoded instruction package to one of the register files and to correspondingly transmit the data read from the one of the register files to a corresponding execution unit.

26. The VLIW processor according to claim 25, wherein when a valid instruction in an instruction slot of a previous transcoded instruction package generated by the instruction transcoder and a valid instruction in the instruction slot of a current transcoded instruction package generated by the instruction transcoder both use a same register file, the decoder, according to the corresponding instruction slot number of the valid instruction of the current transcoded instruction package and the shift value, controls the first switch circuit and the second switch circuit and makes the execution unit corresponding to the valid instruction of the current transcoded instruction package change to access another register file.

27. The VLIW processor according to claim 23, wherein the instruction transcoder comprises:

an instruction shift determination device for checking the relationship between the positions of the valid instruction(s) and NOP instruction(s) of the input instruction package; and

an instruction rearrangement device for performing shift operation to the positions of the valid instruction(s) and NOP instruction(s) of the input instruction package according to a result of positional relationship obtained by the instruction shift determination device through checking, to output the transcoded instruction package.

28. The VLIW processor according to claim 27, wherein the instruction shift determination device, according to a sequence, checks whether an instruction of the input instruction package is an NOP instruction and accumulates the number of NOP instruction(s), and when an instruction is determined as a valid instruction, the accumulated number of NOP instruction(s) is a shift value of the valid instruction;

the instruction rearrangement device, according to the shift value, performs a shift operation on the valid instruction for positioning the valid instruction around a position in the transcoded instruction package.

29. The VLIW processor according to claim 28, wherein the sequence that the instruction shift determination device follows starts from an instruction at an end of the input instruction package to an instruction at another end of the input instruction package consecutively.

30. The VLIW processor according to claim 28, wherein the sequence that the instruction shift determination device follows starts from an instruction at an end of the input instruction package to an instruction of the input instruction package consecutively or starts from an instruction of the input instruction package to an instruction at an end of the input instruction package consecutively.

31. The VLIW processor according to claim 22, wherein the power reduction controller, according to the transcoded instruction package, selectively performs clock gating control on the at least one execution unit corresponding to the at least one NOP instruction of the transcoded instruction package to reduce power consumption.

32. The VLIW processor according to claim 22, wherein the power reduction controller, according to the transcoded instruction package, selectively provides a voltage lower than an original operating voltage to the at least one execution unit corresponding to the at least one NOP instruction of the transcoded instruction package to reduce power consumption.

33. The VLIW processor according to claim 22, wherein the power reduction controller accumulates the number of the NOP instruction(s) of the transcoded instruction package corresponding to at least one execution unit, which is to be placed in power reduction state;

if the accumulated number satisfies a threshold value, then the power reduction controller selectively provides a voltage lower than an original operating voltage to the at least one execution unit, which is to be placed in power reduction state, to reduce power consumption.

34. The VLIW processor according to claim 22, wherein the instruction transcoder further outputs an instruction validation information to indicate whether each instruction slot of the transcoded instruction package is a valid instruction or an NOP instruction;

the power reduction controller selectively performs power reduction control according to the instruction validation information.