Patent ID: 7523449
Filing Date: 2009-04-21
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A method for adaptive runtime reconfiguration of a co-processor instruction set, in a computer system with at least a main processor communicatively connected to at least one reconfigurable co-processor, wherein the co-processor has been configured to implement an instruction set comprising one or more co-processor instructions, the method comprising the steps of: issuing a co-processor instruction to the co-processor; determining whether the instruction is mapped to the co-processor; measuring the occurrence of the co-processor instruction, wherein measuring the occurrence of the co-processor instruction comprises the steps of: for an instruction not mapped to a co-processor instruction set, evaluating the need for reconfiguring the co-processor by comparing an occurrence of an unmapped instruction to that of one or more mapped instruction; triggering reconfiguration of the co-processor instruction set when the performance counter of the unmapped instruction exceeds that of a mapped instruction, wherein said mapped instructions occupies a greater number of tiles in said co-processor than said unmapped instruction, wherein said unmapped instruction is added to the co-processor instruction set; and executing the newly added co-processor instruction.