US 11,947,959 B2
Re-using processing elements of an artificial intelligence processor
Gil Golov, Backnang (DE)
Assigned to Micron Technology, Inc., Boise, ID (US)
Filed by Micron Technology, Inc., Boise, ID (US)
Filed on Sep. 10, 2019, as Appl. No. 16/566,370.
Prior Publication US 2021/0072984 A1, Mar. 11, 2021
Int. Cl. G06F 9/30 (2018.01); G06N 3/063 (2023.01)
CPC G06F 9/3001 (2013.01) [G06F 9/30036 (2013.01); G06N 3/063 (2013.01)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A device comprising:
a processing element, the processing element including a processing device configured to:
receive a first set of vectors; and
receive a second set of vectors after the first set of vectors is received;
a processing element control circuit; and
a hijack control circuit comprising a comparator circuit and a register, wherein:
the comparator circuit comprises a first comparator input, a second comparator input, and an output;
the register comprises a register input and a register output;
the first comparator input is connected to an input of the processing element such that the second set of vectors are received at the processing element and the first comparator input;
the register output is connected directly to the second comparator input and
the hijack control circuit is configured to:
receive, at the register input of the register at a first time, the first set of vectors;
receive, at the second comparator input from the register output at a second time after the first time, the first set of vectors, wherein the first set of vectors is stored at the register based on the first set of vectors being received at the register;
receive, at the first comparator input at the second time, the second set of vectors;
compare, by the comparator circuit of the hijack control circuit, the second set of vectors received at the first comparator input with the first set of vectors received at the second comparator input
determine, based on the comparison of the second set of vectors with the first set of vectors by the comparator circuit, that the first set of vectors and the second set of vectors are the same, wherein the determination that the first set of vectors and the second set of vectors are the same is indicative of the processing element being idle and that a previous output of the processing device corresponding to the first set of vectors is the same as a current output of the processing device corresponding to the second set of vectors; and
output, by the comparator circuit based on the comparison indicating that the processing element is idle, a signal configured to cause the second set of vectors at the processing element to be replaced with a third set of vectors;
wherein the processing element control circuit is further configured to store a set of values representing the third set of vectors, the set of values retrieved from a remote data source.