Patent Document ID: 9990196
Application ID: 15089291
Patent Status: 1

Claim One:
1. A processor, comprising: a front end circuit, wherein the front end circuit includes circuitry to: identify a processor instruction to be executed by the processor; determine that the processor instruction comprises an operation to compute a nonlinear function; determine that the nonlinear function is to be approximated using a linear approximator circuit; and assign a linear approximation of the nonlinear function to the linear approximator circuit; and the linear approximator circuit, wherein the linear approximator circuit includes circuitry to: divide a range of values of the nonlinear function into a plurality of segments, wherein the plurality of segments comprises a defined number of segments of equal length; perform the linear approximation of each segment of the plurality of segments; adjust one or more borders of the plurality of segments such that the plurality of segments is of unequal lengths; repeat the linear approximation of each segment of the plurality of segments; and return a result of the linear approximation of the nonlinear function, wherein the result is based on the linear approximation of each segment of the plurality of segments.