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87 lines
4.1 KiB
Markdown
87 lines
4.1 KiB
Markdown
# A2O
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# Current Status
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* for now, /rel is the original and /dev has updates:
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* compiles with verilator, iverilog, yosys
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* runs simple version of kernel/bios/random test with cocotb (A2L2 interface partially implemented in Python) and Verilog core wrapper (A2L2<->mem interface)
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* verilator builds, but does not simulate correctly
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## To Do
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* continue with cocotb testing
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* add A2Node bridge to WB, and Litex wrapper
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* experiment with parameters to create smaller version(s) for OpenLane
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# Original Release
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## The Project
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This is the release of the A2O POWER processor core RTL and associated FPGA implementation (using ADM-PCIE-9V3 FPGA).
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See [Project Info](rel/readme.md) for details.
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## The Core
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The [A2O core](rel/doc/A2O_UM.pdf) was created to optimize single-thread performance, and targeted 3+ GHz in 45nm technology.
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It is a 27 FO4 implementation, with an out-of-order pipeline supporting 1 or 2 threads. It fully supports Power ISA 2.07 using Book III-E.
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The core was also designed to support pluggable implementations of MMU and AXU logic macros.
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This includes elimination of the MMU and using ERAT-only mode for translation/protection.
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## The History
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The A2O design was a follow-on to A2I, written in Verilog, and supported a lower thread count than A2I, but higher performance per thread, using out-of-order execution
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(register renaming, reservation stations, completion buffer) and a store queue.
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The A2L2 external interface is largely the same for the two cores.
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## FPGA Implementation Notes
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1. There are lots of knobs available for tweaking generation parameters. Very little experimentation was done to test whether they work, or the effects on area, etc.
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2. Only single-thread generation has been done so far. The FPGA in use has very high utilization with one thread.
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3. A2I used clk_1x and clk_2x (for some of the special arrays), but A2O also uses clk_4x. This (and possibly along with the area congestion) led to changing the clk_1x to 50MHz to lessen timing pressure
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(both setup and hold misses).
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### Technology Scaling
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A comparison of the design in original technology and scaled to 7nm (SMT2, fixed-point, no MMU):
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| |Freq |Pwr |Freq Sort|Pwr Sort|Area |Vdd |
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|-----:|---------|-------|---------|--------|---------|-------|
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|45nm |2.30 GHz |1.49 W | | |4.90 mm<sup>2</sup> |0.97 V |
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| 7nm |3.90 GHz |0.79 W |4.17 GHz |0.85 W |0.31 mm<sup>2</sup> |1.1 V |
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| 7nm |3.75 GHz |0.63 W |4.03 GHz |0.67 W |0.31 mm<sup>2</sup> |1.0 V |
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| 7nm |3.55 GHz |0.49 W |3.87 GHz |0.52 W |0.31 mm<sup>2</sup> |0.9 V |
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| 7nm |3.07 GHz |0.32 W |3.60 GHz |0.38 W |0.31 mm<sup>2</sup> |0.8 V |
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| 7nm |2.40 GHz |0.20 W |3.00 GHz |0.25 W |0.31 mm<sup>2</sup> |0.7 V |
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These estimates are based on a semicustom design in representative foundry processes (IBM 45nm/Samsung 7nm).
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### Compliancy
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The A2O core is compliant to Power ISA 2.07 and will need updates to be compliant with either version 3.0c or 3.1.
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Power ISA 3.0c and 3.1 are the two Power ISA versions contributed to OpenPOWER Foundation by IBM. Changes will include:
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* radix translation
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* op updates, to eliminate noncompliant ones and add missing ones required for a given compliancy level
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* various 'mode' and other changes to meet the open specification targeted compliancy level (III-E needs to be changed to III)
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## Miscellaneous
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1. A2O was not released as a product; the documentation was derived from A2I but is *much* less complete than the A2I version.
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The documentation has been edited and updated where possible, but undoubtedly, there
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remain errors vis a vis the RTL (especially likely in implementation-specific SPRs).
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Please use 'issues' to report errors.
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## Errata
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1. There is a problem that is being circumvented by setting LSUCR0.DFWD=1, AND limiting the store queue size (currently at 4). While it appears
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to be directly related to forwarding (L1 DC hit returns 0's instead of data), the store queue size also had to be limited.
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Not debugged at this time; could be related to:
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1. bad generation parm
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2. bad edit for source updates related to compiling for Vivado
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3. ???
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