SiFive. has been granted a patent for a processing system that enables atomic memory operations with contended cache lines. The system features multiple cores with local caches and a lower-level cache, allowing for efficient handling of cache line requests and probe downgrades during atomic memory operations. GlobalData’s report on SiFive gives a 360-degree view of the company including its patenting strategy. Buy the report here.
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According to GlobalData’s company profile on SiFive, Vector processing optimization was a key innovation area identified from patents. SiFive's grant share as of July 2024 was 18%. Grant share is based on the ratio of number of grants to total number of patents.
Atomic memory operations with contended cache lines
The patent US12066941B2 describes a processing system designed to efficiently handle atomic memory operation (AMO) instructions across multiple cores. Each core is equipped with a local cache that communicates with a lower-level cache. The system allows a local cache to request a cache line for executing an AMO instruction. The lower-level cache determines the availability of the requested cache line by considering inputs from other caches or memory structures, inclusive cache presence bits, and various algorithms such as Least Recently Used (LRU) and bloom filters. If a probe downgrade occurs—indicating that another local cache has requested the same cache line—the local cache can send the AMO instruction to the lower-level cache for remote execution.
Additionally, the patent outlines a method for executing AMO instructions, which includes steps for requesting a cache line, determining its availability, and handling probe downgrades or contended cache line messages. The shared cache, which communicates with the local cache of a core and other caches, also plays a crucial role in determining cache line availability based on multiple factors, including latency and coherence states. This multi-faceted approach aims to optimize the execution of AMO instructions while managing cache contention effectively, thereby enhancing the overall performance of the processing system.
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GlobalData Patent Analytics tracks bibliographic data, legal events data, point in time patent ownerships, and backward and forward citations from global patenting offices. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies across the world’s largest industries.
