US 12,229,586 B2
Task context switch for neural processor circuit
Christopher L. Mills, Saratoga, CA (US); and Kenneth W. Waters, San Jose, CA (US)
Assigned to APPLE INC., Cupertino, CA (US)
Filed by Apple Inc., Cupertino, CA (US)
Filed on Jan. 22, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/155,878.
Prior Publication US 2022/0237438 A1, Jul. 28, 2022
Int. Cl. G06F 9/48 (2006.01); G06N 3/045 (2023.01); G06N 3/063 (2023.01); G06N 3/084 (2023.01)
CPC G06F 9/485 (2013.01) [G06N 3/045 (2023.01); G06N 3/063 (2013.01); G06N 3/084 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A neural processor circuit, comprising:
one or more neural engine circuits configured to perform convolution operations on input data corresponding to one or more tasks to generate output data;
a data processor circuit coupled to the one or more neural engine circuits and coupled to an external system memory, the data processor circuit comprising a buffer configured to store the output data from the one or more neural engine circuits; and
a task manager circuit coupled to the data processor circuit, the task manager circuit configured to:
receive a context-switch task, the context-switch task specifying a switch of the data processor circuit from handing an outgoing task to an incoming task; and
transmit configuration data of the context-switch task to the data processor circuit to cause the data processor circuit to (i) transmit the output data corresponding to the outgoing task from the buffer to the external system memory and (ii) fetch data corresponding to the incoming task from the external system memory to the buffer.