Nvidia patents method to test chips while keeping work running
Nvidia has received a patent for a way to check if computer chips are working correctly without stopping the tasks they are performing. The system moves the active work to a second chip while the first one runs the self-test, then swaps them back once the check is finished. This allows the hardware to verify its own health in the background.
In the filing’s own words
Apparatuses, systems, and techniques for testing processing units of a computing system are disclosed herein. A request to initiate a testing process for each of a set of processing units is received. A first processing unit includes a first virtual processor executing first operations. A second processing unit includes a second virtual processor executing second operations. Execution of the first operations is transferred from the first virtual processor to the second virtual processor. Execution of the testing process is initiated at the first processing unit while the second virtual processor executes the first and second operations. In response to a detection that the execution of the testing process is completed, execution of the first and second operations is transferred to the first virtual processor. Execution of the testing process is initiated at the second processing unit while the first virtual processor running executes the first and second operations.
What exactly they claim (claim 1)
1. A method comprising: receiving a request to initiate a testing process for each of a plurality of processing units, a first processing unit of the plurality of processing units executing a first set of operations by a first virtual processor and a second processing unit of the plurality of processing units executing a second set of operations by a second virtual processor; causing execution of the first set of operations by the first virtual processor to be transferred from the first processing unit to the second processing unit by updating a first operation queue of the second virtual processor to include execution state data associated with at least one operation of the first set of operations that was executed by the first virtual processor; initiating execution of the testing process at the first processing unit while the second processing unit executes: the first set of operations by the first virtual processor in accordance with the execution state data, and the second set of operations by the second virtual processor; responsive to detecting that the execution of the testing process is completed at the first processing unit, causing execution of the first set of operations by the first virtual processor and the second set of operations by the second virtual processor to be transferred from the second processing unit to the first processing unit by updating a second operation queue of the first virtual processor to include execution state data associated with at least one of an operation of the first set of operations or an operation of the second set of operations that was executed by the second virtual processor; and initiating execution of the testing process at the second processing unit while the first processing unit executes the first set of operations by the first virtual processor and the second set of operations by the second virtual processor.
Facts
- Company
- Nvidia (NVIDIA Corporation)
- Official title
- Fault detection
- Patent number
- US12761942B2
- Application number
- 18491648
- Filed
- Oct 20, 2023
- Granted
- Oct 13, 2026
- Inventors
- 6
- Claims
- 20
Classified under
G06F 9/45558 Physics & computingG06F 11/2236 Physics & computingG06F 11/2273 Physics & computingG06F 2009/4557 Physics & computingG06F 2009/45591 Physics & computingMore from Nvidia in Chips & hardware
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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.