CSR: Medium: Collaborative Research: Static Pipelining, an Approach for Ultra-Low Power Embedded Processors

随着移动嵌入式系统的日益普及，对处理器管道的能效要求也越来越高。传统的管道效率低下包括由于重复或可避免的计算而对寄存器文件进行不必要的访问，因为不断检查转发和不可能发生的危险，重复计算不变值等。开发一种替代处理器设计是可取的，它可以避免传统流水线处理器的这些浪费的能源消耗方面，同时仍然达到相当的性能。通过在每个周期内对处理器的每个部分进行控制，在每个指令中显式表示，静态流水线处理器有望实现这些目标。流水线实际上是由编译器静态决定的，它有几个潜在的好处，比如在不降低性能的情况下减少能耗，以更低的生产成本支持更简单的设计，并且由于指令对处理器有更明确的控制，因此能够应用更有效的编译器优化。如果成功，这项研究的广泛影响是多方面的。使用超低功耗嵌入式设备，如生物植入式微电子设备，可以显著影响日常活动。新一代超低功耗处理器将使这些设备的开发和部署更加可行。在课堂上介绍最新的体系结构和编译器增强功能的教育努力补充了我们的研究。还将采取措施，增加这两所大学计算机科学和计算机工程专业的女性和少数族裔的入学率。

As mobile embedded systems become more prevalent, there is an increasing demand to make processor pipelines more power efficient. Conventional pipeline inefficiencies include unnecessary accesses to the register file due to duplication or avoidable computation from constantly checking for forwarding and hazards at points where they cannot possibly occur, repeated calculation of invariant values, etc. It is desirable to develop an alternative processor design that can avoid these wasteful energy consumption aspects of a traditionally pipelined processor while still achieving comparable performance.A statically pipelined processor is expected to achieve these goals by having the control during each cycle for each portion of the processor explicitly represented in each instruction. The pipelining is in effect statically determined by the compiler, which has several potential benefits, such as reducing energy consumption without degrading performance, supporting a less complex design with a lower production cost, and being able to apply more effective compiler optimizations due to instructions having more explicit control of the processor.If successful, the broader impact of this research is manifold. The use of ultra-low power embedded devices, such as bio-implantable microelectronic devices, can significantly affect everyday activities. A new generation of ultra-low power processors will enable these devices to be more feasible to develop and deploy. Educational efforts to introduce the latest architecture and compiler enhancements in the classroom complement our research. Steps will also be taken to increase female and minority enrollment at both institutions in their Computer Science and Computer Engineering programs.