Pipelined packet-forwarding floating point. II. An adder

Abstract

For pt.I see ibid., p.140-7 (1997). The paper presents a floating point addition algorithm and adder pipeline design employing a packet forwarding pipeline paradigm. The packet forwarding format and the proposed algorithms constitute a new paradigm for handling data hazards in deeply pipelined floating point pipelines. The addition algorithm employs a four stage execution phase pipeline with each stage suitable for implementation in a short clock period, assuming about fifteen logic levels per cycle. The first two cycles are related to addition proper and are the principal focus of the paper. The last two cycles perform the rounding. The addition algorithm accepts one operand in a standard binary floating point format at the start of cycle one. Packets comprising the other operand in our packet forwarding floating point format are input at the start of cycles one and two. Output of the result occurs in the packet format after cycles two and three with the format representing a floating point value equal to the standard IEEE 754 rounded result. The same result in a standard binary floating point format is available after cycle four for retirement to a register. The packet forwarding result is thus available with an effective two cycle latency for forwarding to the start of the adder pipeline or to a cooperating multiplier pipeline accepting a packet forwarding operand. The effective latency of the proposed design is two cycles for successive dependent operations while preserving IEEE 754 binary floating point compatibility.