- #1
PainterGuy
- 940
- 70
Hi,
I have always thought that BIOS program, which is firmware, of any computing device serves as an initiating set of instructions which launches the main program such as Windows.
Please have a look on this attachment. The following text is from the attachment.
"The concept of cache memory is based on the idea that computer programs tend to get instructions or data from one area of main memory before moving to another area. Basically, the cache controller “guesses” which area of the slow dynamic memory the CPU (central-processing unit) will need next and moves it to the cache memory so that it is ready when needed. If the cache controller guesses right, the data are immediately available to the microprocessor. If the cache controller guesses wrong, the CPU must go to the main memory and wait much longer for the correct instructions or data. Fortunately, the cache controller is right most of the time."
When I read the text above first time, I got the impression as if a cache controller also has a separate 'guiding' firmware, i.e. an algorithm, which helps it how to 'guess'. Now I think that I was wrong. A cache controller has an added ability to access several required locations of memory at a faster rate. Like it has 10 hands compared to two hands and each hand could reach to a different memory location at a very fast rate.
To get a better understanding I was trying to see how a GPU works. I have boldfaced the sentence which, I think, is the gist.
"A graphics processing unit (GPU) is a specialized electronic circuit designed to rapidly manipulate and alter memory to accelerate the creation of images in a frame buffer intended for output to a display device. GPUs are used in embedded systems, mobile phones, personal computers, workstations, and game consoles. Modern GPUs are very efficient at manipulating computer graphics and image processing. Their highly parallel structure makes them more efficient than general-purpose central processing units (CPUs) for algorithms that process large blocks of data in parallel. In a personal computer, a GPU can be present on a video card or embedded on the motherboard. In certain CPUs, they are embedded on the CPU die.[1]" [5]
Here, the architecture of a GPU helps algorithms to process data efficiently compared to a general purpose CPU. I believe that Artificial Intelligence Accelerator also facilitates artificial intelligence algorithms to process data more efficiently.
I'm still little confused about the working of a cache controller like how it guesses. Could you please help me with this? Also in the block diagram FIGURE 11-16 there is a double sided arrow between cache controller and microprocessor, what does it mean? That microprocessor and cache controller interacts with each other but in what way and how?
Thank you.Helpful links:
1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AI_accelerator
2: https://www.quora.com/Does-a-smartphone-have-a-BIOS-chip
3: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/cache-controller
4: https://www.datacenterknowledge.com...ge-nvidia-s-ai-chip-dominance-facebook-s-help
5: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graphics_processing_unit
I have always thought that BIOS program, which is firmware, of any computing device serves as an initiating set of instructions which launches the main program such as Windows.
Please have a look on this attachment. The following text is from the attachment.
"The concept of cache memory is based on the idea that computer programs tend to get instructions or data from one area of main memory before moving to another area. Basically, the cache controller “guesses” which area of the slow dynamic memory the CPU (central-processing unit) will need next and moves it to the cache memory so that it is ready when needed. If the cache controller guesses right, the data are immediately available to the microprocessor. If the cache controller guesses wrong, the CPU must go to the main memory and wait much longer for the correct instructions or data. Fortunately, the cache controller is right most of the time."
When I read the text above first time, I got the impression as if a cache controller also has a separate 'guiding' firmware, i.e. an algorithm, which helps it how to 'guess'. Now I think that I was wrong. A cache controller has an added ability to access several required locations of memory at a faster rate. Like it has 10 hands compared to two hands and each hand could reach to a different memory location at a very fast rate.
To get a better understanding I was trying to see how a GPU works. I have boldfaced the sentence which, I think, is the gist.
"A graphics processing unit (GPU) is a specialized electronic circuit designed to rapidly manipulate and alter memory to accelerate the creation of images in a frame buffer intended for output to a display device. GPUs are used in embedded systems, mobile phones, personal computers, workstations, and game consoles. Modern GPUs are very efficient at manipulating computer graphics and image processing. Their highly parallel structure makes them more efficient than general-purpose central processing units (CPUs) for algorithms that process large blocks of data in parallel. In a personal computer, a GPU can be present on a video card or embedded on the motherboard. In certain CPUs, they are embedded on the CPU die.[1]" [5]
Here, the architecture of a GPU helps algorithms to process data efficiently compared to a general purpose CPU. I believe that Artificial Intelligence Accelerator also facilitates artificial intelligence algorithms to process data more efficiently.
I'm still little confused about the working of a cache controller like how it guesses. Could you please help me with this? Also in the block diagram FIGURE 11-16 there is a double sided arrow between cache controller and microprocessor, what does it mean? That microprocessor and cache controller interacts with each other but in what way and how?
Thank you.Helpful links:
1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AI_accelerator
2: https://www.quora.com/Does-a-smartphone-have-a-BIOS-chip
3: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/cache-controller
4: https://www.datacenterknowledge.com...ge-nvidia-s-ai-chip-dominance-facebook-s-help
5: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graphics_processing_unit
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