Patent ID: 6490607
Filing Date: 2002-12-03
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
A method for performing integer and floating point multiplication, the method comprising:detecting a type of multiplication operation to be performed; asserting one or more control signals in response to detecting the type of multiplication operation to be performed; conveying the asserted control signals to a multiplier and selection logic configurable to perform the multiplication operation; selecting a multiplier operand and a multiplicand operand corresponding to the multiplication operation to be performed in response to the asserted control signals; multiplying the multiplier operand and the multiplicand operand, wherein the multiplication operation is selected from the group comprising: scalar floating point multiplication operations, iterative multiplication operations performed in the context of a divide operation, and iterative multiplication operations performed in the context of a square root operation; detecting floating point divide operations that have divisors that are exactly a power of two in response to detecting an iterative multiplication operation associated with a divide operation; and executing the divide by power of two operation by: shifting dividends; and rounding the result to the appropriate precision using a specified rounding mode.