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Abstract

A multiprocessor system comprises a plurality of processing nodes, each node processing multiple threads of computation. Each node includes a data processor which sequentially processes blocks of code, each block defining a thread of computation. The code includes instructions to send start messages with data values to start new threads of computation. Each node also includes a synchronization coprocessor for processing start messages from the same and other nodes of the system. The coprocessor processes the start messages to store values as operands for threads of computation, to determine when all operands required for a thread of computation have been received and to provide an indication to the data processor that a thread of computation may be initiated. The data processor subsequently nonsynchronously initiates the thread of computation. Preferably, the processors load and store from and to a common memory with the translation from a local virtual address to a local physical address. The data processor creates messages to remote nodes using a global virtual address which is translated before transmission to a node designation and a local virtual address at the remote node. The synchronization coprocessor is a pipeline processor in which a data cache stage is modified to increment and test a counter value during a join operation.

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