Date: 2020/12/18
Task Group: Vector Extension
Chair: Krste Asanovic
Co-Chair: Roger Espasa
Number of Attendees: ~10
Current issues on github: https://github.com/riscv/riscv-v-spec

Note: No more meetings schedule until next year. Time slot may have
to change.

Issues discussed:

# Freeze process

We are close to freezing the spec. There is a waiver from chairs for
SAIL model and compatibility tests, but we will need to complete these
before ratification.

# auto pdf generation

There was a request to have the repo automatically generate a pdf
version on commits to avoid users having to install formatting tools.

# Mask handling

Continuing discussion, the concrete proposal is to add new unit-stride
loads and stores that would use the lumop/sumop field to encode byte
load/stores used for masks, and also use effective vl = ceil(vl/8)
(implying effectively EMUL<=1). Proposed instructions would be:

vle1.v vd, (rs1) # Byte load with effective vl = ceil(vl/8)
vse1.v vs2, (rs1) # Byte store with effective vl = ceil(vl/8)

Encoded with lumop/sumop = 00011.

We discussed adding whole vector register load version with
lumop=01011, which would only be a mask hint, but for now, this seems
less necessary so is not on PoR.

vl1re1.v vd, (rs1) # Whole register load

# vsetivli

A new variant of vsetvl was proposed providing an immediate as the AVL
in rs1[4:0]. The immediate encoding is the same as for CSR immediate
instructions. The instruction would have bit 31:30 = 11 and bits 29:20
would be encoded same as vsetvli.

This would be used when AVL was statically known, and known to fit
inside vector register group. Compared with existing PoR, it removes
need to load immediate into a spare scalar register before executing
vsetvli, and is useful for handling scalar values in vector register
(vl=1) and other cases where short fixed-sized vectors are the
datatype (e.g., graphics).

There was discussion on whether uimm=00000 should represent 32 or be
reserved. 32 is more useful, but adds a little complexity to
hardware.

There was also discussion on whether instruction should set vill if
selected AVL is not supported, or whether should clip vl to VLMAX as
with other instructions, or if behavior should be reserved. Group
generally favored writing vill to expose software errors.