Patent ID: 8564604
Filing Date: 2013-10-22
Classification: G11B

Abstract:
1. A graphics processing unit, comprising: an execution unit configured to execute programmable shader operations, wherein the execution unit is further configured to simultaneously process operations for a plurality of threads; a first memory forming a register file configured to accomodate register operations for all threads executed by the execution unit, the first memory being organized in a plurality of banks, with a first plurality of banks being allocated to a first plurality of the threads and a second plurality of banks being allocated to the remaining threads; a second memory forming a constant cache configured to accomodate the fetching of constants for a plurality of shader operations executed within the execution unit, the constant cache configured to store a plurality of contexts of values for each of a plurality of types of shaders, the constant cache further configured to store a plurality of constant values and a plurality of versions of constant values in each context stored within the constant cache; and a third memory forming a vertex attribute cache configured to accommodate the storing of vertex attributes processed by programmable shader operations executed by the execution unit.