A tensor traversal engine in a processor system comprising a source memory component and a destination memory component, the tensor traversal engine comprising: a control signal register storing a control signal for a strided data transfer operation from the source memory component to the destination memory component, the control signal comprising an initial source address, an initial destination address, a first source stride length in a first dimension, and a first source stride count in the first dimension; a source address register communicatively coupled to the control signal register; a destination address register communicatively coupled to the control signal register; a first source stride counter communicatively coupled to the control signal register; and control logic communicatively coupled to the control signal register, the source address register, and the first source stride counter.

A streaming engine employed in a digital signal processor specified a fixed data stream. Once started the data stream is read only and cannot be written. Once fetched, the data stream is stored in a first-in-first-out buffer for presentation to functional units in the fixed order. Data use by the functional unit is controlled using the input operand fields of the corresponding instruction. A read only operand coding supplies the data an input of the functional unit. A read/advance operand coding supplies the data and also advances the stream to the next sequential data elements. The read only operand coding permits reuse of data without requiring a register of the register file for temporary storage.

A streaming engine employed in a digital signal processor specified a fixed data stream. Once started the data stream is read only and cannot be written. Once fetched, the data stream is stored in a first-in-first-out buffer for presentation to functional units in the fixed order. Data use by the functional unit is controlled using the input operand fields of the corresponding instruction. A read only operand coding supplies the data an input of the functional unit. A read/advance operand coding supplies the data and also advances the stream to the next sequential data elements. The read only operand coding permits reuse of data without requiring a register of the register file for temporary storage.

Techniques related to executing a plurality of instructions by a processor comprising receiving a first instruction for execution on an instruction execution pipeline, beginning execution of the first instruction, receiving one or more second instructions for execution on the instruction execution pipeline, the one or more second instructions associated with a higher priority task than the first instruction, storing a register state associated with the execution of the first instruction in one or more registers of a capture queue associated with the instruction execution pipeline, copying the register state from the capture queue to a memory, determining that the one or more second instructions have been executed, copying the register state from the memory to the one or more registers of the capture queue, and restoring the register state to the instruction execution pipeline from the capture queue.

Techniques related to executing a plurality of instructions by a processor comprising receiving a first instruction for execution on an instruction execution pipeline, beginning execution of the first instruction, receiving one or more second instructions for execution on the instruction execution pipeline, the one or more second instructions associated with a higher priority task than the first instruction, storing a register state associated with the execution of the first instruction in one or more registers of a capture queue associated with the instruction execution pipeline, copying the register state from the capture queue to a memory, determining that the one or more second instructions have been executed, copying the register state from the memory to the one or more registers of the capture queue, and restoring the register state to the instruction execution pipeline from the capture queue.

A data processing apparatus and method of operating such is disclosed. Issue circuitry buffers operations prior to execution until operands are available in a set of registers. A first and a second load operation are identified in the issue circuitry, when both are dependent on a common operand, and when the common operand is available in the set of registers. Load circuitry has a first address generation unit to generate a first address for the first load operation and a second address generation unit to generate a second address for the second load operation. An address comparison unit compares the first address and the second address. The load circuitry is arranged to cause a merged lookup to be performed in local temporary storage, when the address comparison unit determines that the first and the second address differ by less than a predetermined address range characteristic of the local temporary storage.

Systems, methods, and devices for pruning a convolutional neural network (CNN). A subset of layers of the CNN is chosen, and for each layer of the subset of layers, how salient each filter in the layer is to an output of the CNN is determined, a subset of the filters in the layer is determined based on the salience of each filter in the layer, and the subset of filters in the layer is pruned. In some implementations, the layers of the subset of layers of the CNN are non-contiguous. In some implementations, the subset of layers includes odd numbered layers of the CNN and excludes even numbered layers of the CNN. In some implementations, the subset of layers includes even numbered layers of the CNN and excludes odd numbered layers of the CNN.

A predicated-loop-terminating branch instruction controls, based on whether a loop termination condition is satisfied, whether the processing circuitry should process a further iteration of a predicated loop body or process a following instruction. If at least one unnecessary iteration of the predicated loop body is processed following a mispredicted-non-termination branch misprediction when the loop termination condition is mispredicted as unsatisfied for a given iteration when it should have been satisfied, processing of the at least one unnecessary iteration of the predicated loop body is predicated to suppress an effect of the at least one unnecessary iteration. When the mispredicted-non-termination branch misprediction is detected for the given iteration of the predicated-loop-terminating branch instruction, in response to determining that a flush suppressing condition is satisfied, flushing of the at least one unnecessary iteration of the predicated loop body is suppressed as a response to the mispredicted-non-termination branch misprediction.

A streaming engine employed in a digital data processor specifies a fixed read only data stream defined by plural nested loops. An address generator produces addresses of data elements. A steam head register stores data elements next to be supplied to functional units for use as operands. Stream metadata is stored in response to a stream store instruction. Stored stream metadata is restored to the stream engine in response to a stream restore instruction. An interrupt changes an open stream to a frozen state discarding stored stream data. A return from interrupt changes a frozen stream to an active state.

A streaming engine employed in a digital data processor specifies a fixed read only data stream defined by plural nested loops. An address generator produces addresses of data elements. A steam head register stores data elements next to be supplied to functional units for use as operands. Stream metadata is stored in response to a stream store instruction. Stored stream metadata is restored to the stream engine in response to a stream restore instruction. An interrupt changes an open stream to a frozen state discarding stored stream data. A return from interrupt changes a frozen stream to an active state.