Unit 3 Pipelining

Overview

Pipelining is widely used in modern processors. Pipelining improves system performance in terms of throughput. Pipelined organization requires sophisticated compilation techniques.

Basic Concepts

Making the Execution of Programs Faster

Use faster circuit technology to build the processor and the main memory. Arrange the hardware so that more than one operation can be performed at the same time. In the latter way, the number of operations performed per second is increased even though the elapsed time needed to perform any one operation is not changed.
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Traditional Pipeline Concept

Traditional Pipeline Concept

Traditional Pipeline Concept

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B C D

Traditional Pipeline Concept

Traditional Pipeline Concept

B C D

Traditional Pipeline Concept

Traditional Pipeline Concept

Traditional Pipeline Concept

B C D
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Use the Idea of Pipelining in a Computer

T ime 1 2 3 4 E

Instruction I1 F1 E1

(a) Sequential execution

I2 Interstage buffer B1 Instruction fetch unit I3 Ex ecution unit

F2

E2

F3 (c) Pipelined execution

E3

(b) Hardware organization

Figure 8.1. Basic idea of instruction pipelining. 9

Use the Idea of Pipelining in a Computer

Fetch + Decode + Execution + Write

I1

F1

D1

E1

W1

I2

F2

D2

E2

W2

I3 I4

F3

D3 F4

E3 D4

W3 E4 W4

(a) Instruction execution div ided into f our steps Interstage b uffers

F : Fetch instruction B1

D : Decode instruction and fetch operands B2

E: Ex ecute operation B3

W : Write results

(b) Hardware organization

Textbook page: 457

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Role of Cache Memory

Each pipeline stage is expected to complete in one clock cycle. The clock period should be long enough to let the slowest pipeline stage to complete. Faster stages can only wait for the slowest one to complete. Since main memory is very slow compared to the execution, if each instruction needs to be fetched from main memory, pipeline is almost useless. Fortunately, we have cache.
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Pipeline Performance

The potential increase in performance resulting from pipelining is proportional to the number of pipeline stages. However, this increase would be achieved only if all pipeline stages require the same time to complete, and there is no interruption throughout program execution. Unfortunately, this is not true.
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Pipeline Performance
Time Clock c ycle Instruction I1 F1 D1 E1 W1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

I2

F2

D2

E2

W2

I3

F3

D3 F4

E3

W3

I4

D4

E4

W4

I5

F5

D5

E5

Figure 8.3. Effect of an e xecution operation taking more than one clock cycle.

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Pipeline Performance

The previous pipeline is said to have been stalled for two clock cycles. Any condition that causes a pipeline to stall is called a hazard. Data hazard any condition in which either the source or the destination operands of an instruction are not available at the time expected in the pipeline. So some operation has to be delayed, and the pipeline stalls. Instruction (control) hazard a delay in the availability of an instruction causes the pipeline to stall. Structural hazard the situation when two instructions require the use of a given hardware resource at the same time.

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Pipeline Performance
Instruction hazard
Clock cycle Instruction I1 I2 I3 F1 D1 E1 F2 W1 D2 F3 E2 D3 W2 E3 W3 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Tim e 9

(a) Instruction execution steps in successiv e clock cy cles Tim e 9

Clock cycle Stage F: Fetch D: Decode E: Execute W: Write

F1

F2 D1

F2 idle E1

F2 idle idle W1

F2 idle idle idle

F3 D2 idle idle D3 E2 idle E3 W2 W3

Idle periods stalls (bubbles)

(b) Function perf ormed by each processor stage in successiv e clock cy cles

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Figure 8.4. Pipeline stall caused by a cache miss in F2.

Pipeline Performance
Structural Load X(R1), R2 hazard Clock cycle 1
Instruction I1 F1 D1 E1 W1 Time 2 3 4 5 6 7

I2 (Load)

F2

D2

E2

M2

W2

I3

F3

D3 F4

E3

W3

I4

D4

E4

I5

F5

D5

Figure 8.5. Effect of a Load instruction on pipeline timing.

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Pipeline Performance

Again, pipelining does not result in individual instructions being executed faster; rather, it is the throughput that increases. Throughput is measured by the rate at which instruction execution is completed. Pipeline stall causes degradation in pipeline performance. We need to identify all hazards that may cause the pipeline to stall and to find ways to minimize their impact.

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Quiz

Four instructions, the I2 takes two clock cycles for execution. Pls draw the figure for 4-stage pipeline, and figure out the total cycles needed for the four instructions to complete.

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