Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
Memory protection in highly parallel computing hardware

Abstract:

Techniques for handling memory errors are disclosed. Various memory units of an accelerated processing device ("APD") include error units for detecting errors in data stored in the memory (e.g., using parity protection or error correcting code). Upon detecting an error considered to be an "initial uncorrectable error," the error unit triggers transmission of an initial uncorrectable error interrupt ("IUE interrupt") to a processor. This IUE interrupt includes information identifying the specific memory unit in which the error occurred (and possible other information about the error). A halt interrupt is generated and transmitted to the processor in response to the data having the error being consumed (i.e., used by an operation such as an instruction or command), which causes the APD to halt operations. If the data having the error is not consumed, then the halt interrupt is never generated (that the error occurred may remain logged, however).