We present a new nonconventional approach for designing and organizing register rename mappers that can be applied in modern out-of-order processor chips. A content-addressable memory (CAM) configuration optimal for such a register mapper application was developed. The structure of the CAM and search engine, described in this paper, facilitates the implementation of the register mapper as a group of custom arrays. Each array is dedicated to executing a specific function. Among the functions we implemented are allocation of registers, maintaining the register map and status, source lookup, saving a shadow copy of the register map, and freeing up of registers. We made a novel implementation of the register mapper to provide rename resources for the IBM POWER4e chip, which provides the processing power for the IBM eServere p690. Such register renaming allows for a high level of concurrency in the pipeline and contributes to superior machine performance.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.