micheleandClaude Sonnet 5
e4a5540b6e
Implements optimization #1 from the final benchmark campaign's own recommendation: exploit psram_controller.v's already-implemented page-mode support (confirmed present by direct inspection) by fetching multiple bytes per real backend transaction instead of one at a time. Root cause addressed: int8_memory_access.v (the byte-level backend prefetch_engine.v originally sat on) already converts every 8-bit logical request into a full 16-bit PSRAM word access internally (mem_addr <= addr >> 1), discarding half of every word it already paid for. prefetch_engine.v/memory_manager.v now speak memory_interface.v's own 16-bit word protocol directly, bypassing int8_memory_access.v entirely - which remains untouched, still frozen V1 (§1/§34); V2 simply reuses the lower layer of the same frozen chain instead of the byte-splitting layer on top of it, the same "reuse what fits" precedent slot_mem_arbiter.v already set. slot_mem_arbiter.v and neural_multiprocessor.v widened to match (lb_n/ub_n added, master port wired directly to memory_interface.v). Real, measured results: M4's own single-job testbench shows 49-56% fewer cycles (166->84, 446->204, 728->322, all still bit-exact). The full final-benchmark campaign (24/24 workload/config combinations) re-verified bit-exact with D-Stress's real wall-clock time (cycles / real POST-P&R Fmax) improving 2.24-2.37x across every N_SLOTS tested, against a small real Fmax cost (unchanged at N=1, -6.2% at N=2, -1.2% at N=4). tb_neural_multiprocessor.v (M8) and tb_benchmark_suite.v (final campaign) needed zero changes - both treat neural_multiprocessor.v as a black box. Only tb_memory_manager.v (M4, rewired to skip int8_memory_access.v) and tb_dataflow_core.v (M7, behavioral model widened to word-level) needed updates. The "real parallel scaling is flat beyond N_SLOTS=2" finding (DEC-0014) still holds - this optimization made the shared PSRAM port more efficient per transaction, not multi-ported - so N_SLOTS=2 remains the recommended default. Logged: simulation/synthesis/timing/benchmark/decisions (DEC-0015)/ experiments (EXP-0015)/development.log. Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 5 <noreply@anthropic.com> Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_013xXuuRUWZScuo1DeYJxs3v
155 lines
8.3 KiB
Plaintext
155 lines
8.3 KiB
Plaintext
# V2 simulation log -- solo append, mai troncato/sovrascritto (vedi README.md)
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# Nessuna entry ancora -- popolato incrementalmente man mano che avanza lo sviluppo V2.
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[2026-09-05] EXP-0001/EXP-0002 -- hardware/v2/sim/tb_neural_processor.v
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test: 7 cases (16/32/8/8/8/8/64-input jobs; ACT_NONE + ACT_RELU;
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extreme INT8 saturation; back-to-back zero-idle-gap tiles)
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vectors: regular positive, mixed-sign cancellation, extreme INT8
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(-128,-127,-1,0,1,126,127,127 in one 8-lane tile), back-to-back
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jobs, 8-tile (64-input) job
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simulator: Verilator 5.050 (--binary --timing) -- see decisions.log
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DEC-0004 for why Icarus v13.0 is not trusted for this testbench
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cycles: not separately profiled at this milestone (throughput/stall
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cycle counting deferred to M9 per §22)
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PASS/FAIL: 7/7 PASS (ACC_WIDTH=32); 7/7 PASS (ACC_WIDTH=24, EXP-0002)
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bit-exact result: V1.y === V2.result_data for every case, both widths
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stall cycles / memory wait / utilization: N/A (no Memory Manager yet,
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M1 operands fed directly by testbench per the roadmap)
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[2026-09-05] EXP-0003 -- hardware/v2/sim/tb_neural_processor_array.v
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(N_PROCESSORS=4)
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test: 7 cases (single-processor sanity; 4-way same-cycle concurrent
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launch with different tile counts; staggered-start 2-processor test)
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simulator: Verilator 5.050 (--binary --timing)
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PASS/FAIL: 7/7 PASS
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bit-exact result: N/A at this milestone (hand-computed expected
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values, arithmetic itself already bit-exact-certified vs V1 at M1)
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concurrency: confirmed genuine -- in the staggered test, the
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later-launched, shorter job (processor 1) completes BEFORE the
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earlier-launched, longer job (processor 0), proving independent
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progress rather than serialization.
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[2026-09-05] EXP-0004 -- hardware/v2/sim/tb_buffers.v
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test: 10 cases across activation_buffer/weight_buffer/result_buffer
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vectors: extreme INT8 (-128, 127, -100, 100), regular values, full
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64-bit tile round-trip (weight_buffer), re-reads confirming earlier
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writes undisturbed
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simulator: Verilator 5.050 (--binary --timing)
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PASS/FAIL: 10/10 PASS
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[2026-09-05] EXP-0005 -- hardware/v2/sim/tb_memory_manager.v
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test: 3 end-to-end jobs (3-tile/saturating, 1-tile/non-saturating,
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5-tile/steady-state-swap), real V1 PSRAM backend chain (unmodified),
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real M1 neural_processor
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simulator: Verilator 5.050 (--binary --timing)
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PASS/FAIL: 3/3 PASS
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bit-exact result: PSRAM-read-back result byte matches hand-computed
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expectation in every case (independent oracle, not derived from the
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RTL under test)
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cycles: 446 (3 tiles), 166 (1 tile), 728 (5 tiles) -- real PSRAM
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latency dominates, not memory_manager's own control overhead
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[2026-09-05] EXP-0006 -- hardware/v2/sim/tb_neural_director.v
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test: 4 cases (3-jobs-2-slots first-free dispatch + queueing,
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backpressure fill/recover)
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simulator: Verilator 5.050 (--binary --timing)
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PASS/FAIL: 4/4 PASS
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[2026-09-05] EXP-0007 -- hardware/v2/sim/tb_dependency_manager.v
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test: 4 cases on a 4-node DAG (2 independent + 1 dual-dependency +
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1 single-dependency-shared-producer)
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simulator: Verilator 5.050 (--binary --timing)
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PASS/FAIL: 4/4 PASS
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[2026-09-05] EXP-0008 -- hardware/v2/sim/tb_dataflow_core.v
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test: full end-to-end M1-M6 integration through dataflow_core.v (M7),
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a 3-node DAG (node0/node1 independent, node2 depends on BOTH) run
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through the REAL dependency_manager -> neural_director -> N_SLOTS x
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(memory_manager + neural_processor) chain for the first time, each
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slot backed by its own independent behavioral byte memory
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simulator: Verilator 5.050 (--binary --timing)
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PASS/FAIL: 4/4 PASS -- node0=48, node1=8 (both real neural_processor
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computations via the full stack), node2=40 dispatched only after
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BOTH node0 and node1 genuinely completed (continuously polled every
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cycle up to completion, not just checked at the end) -- the
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dependency-manager-to-director wake-up loop closes correctly
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end-to-end with real hardware in between, not just in isolation
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(M6's own testbench already proved the wake-up logic alone)
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[2026-09-05] EXP-0009 -- hardware/v2/sim/tb_neural_multiprocessor.v
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test: same 3-node DAG as EXP-0008 (node0/node1 independent, node2
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depends on both), routed through neural_multiprocessor.v (M8): the
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REAL, UNMODIFIED V1 PSRAM backend chain (int8_memory_access ->
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memory_interface -> psram_controller -> psram_model) shared across
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N_SLOTS=2 genuinely concurrent memory_manager instances via the new
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slot_mem_arbiter.v -- node0 and node1 are registered back-to-back
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with no dependencies, so both dispatch to their slots essentially
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simultaneously and genuinely contend for the one real PSRAM port.
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simulator: Verilator 5.050 (--binary --timing)
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PASS/FAIL: 4/4 PASS after fixing a real dropped-request bug in the
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first arbiter draft (errors.log ERR-0008) -- node0=48, node1=8
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(concurrent, real PSRAM, real arbitration), node2=40 dispatched only
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after both genuinely completed. 444 cycles end-to-end (vs 20000-cycle
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watchdog timeout with the buggy first draft, where node1's request
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was silently dropped and its slot hung forever).
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regression: hardware/v2/sim/tb_memory_manager.v (M4) re-run unchanged
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(no M4 file touched) -- still 3/3 PASS, identical cycle counts
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(446/166/728), confirming slot_mem_arbiter.v is purely additive.
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[2026-09-05] EXP-0013 -- hardware/v2/sim/tb_neural_multiprocessor.v,
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M10 cycle-accounting instrumentation (closes decisions.log DEC-0011's
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deferred stall %/utilization gap with real data, testbench-only
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addition, no RTL touched)
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test: same EXP-0009 scenario (3-node DAG, N_SLOTS=2, real V1 PSRAM
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chain, real slot_mem_arbiter contention), instrumented with cycle
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counters (shared PSRAM port busy cycles via
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u_nmp.u_arbiter.owner!=0, each slot's memory_manager busy cycles via
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its own state!=MM_IDLE), measured from the first node registration
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to test completion.
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simulator: Verilator 5.050 (--binary --timing)
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PASS/FAIL: 4/4 PASS (unchanged from EXP-0009), plus real measured
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data: 684 total cycles measured; shared PSRAM port busy 559/684
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(81.7% utilization, 18.3% idle); slot 0 (memory_manager) busy
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651/684 (95.2%); slot 1 (memory_manager) busy 446/684 (65.2%).
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note: slot 0's higher utilization is at least partly explained by it
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serving TWO sequential jobs in this run (node0, then whichever slot
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frees first serves node2 -- likely slot 0, first-free/lowest-index)
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while slot 1 only ever serves node1 -- NOT conclusive evidence of
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harmful priority starvation on its own; see decisions.log DEC-0010's
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original fairness deferral, now informed by this real (if small)
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data point.
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[2026-09-05] EXP-0014 -- hardware/v2/sim/tb_benchmark_suite.v (final
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benchmark campaign, post-M10)
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test: 6 workloads (16/64/128/256 independent neurons + 10-node
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multilayer with random data + 6-node 2-hop DAG), each bit-exact
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verified against a software golden model, at N_SLOTS=1/2/4/8 (24
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total runs) through the real full neural_multiprocessor.v (real V1
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PSRAM chain, real slot_mem_arbiter)
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simulator: Verilator 5.050 (--binary --timing)
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PASS/FAIL: 24/24 PASS bit-exact (11,520 individual neuron/node
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comparisons, zero mismatches) after fixing 3 real issues found
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during this campaign (errors.log ERR-0009: 1 real RTL bug in
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neural_director.v at N_SLOTS=1, never exercised before; 2 testbench
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sizing bugs -- psram_model DEPTH too small, N_NODES too small
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causing a real node-id wraparound deadlock)
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full data/analysis: hardware/v2/docs/benchmarks/final-benchmark.md
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[2026-09-05] EXP-0015 -- regression + real improvement measurement
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after word-level burst-read rewrite (DEC-0015)
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test: hardware/v2/sim/tb_memory_manager.v (M4, updated to connect
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memory_manager directly to memory_interface.v, skipping
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int8_memory_access.v), hardware/v2/sim/tb_dataflow_core.v (M7,
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sim_byte_mem -> sim_word_mem), hardware/v2/sim/tb_neural_multiprocessor.v
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(M8, UNCHANGED -- black-box on neural_multiprocessor.v, no edits
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needed), hardware/v2/sim/tb_benchmark_suite.v (final campaign,
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UNCHANGED, re-run at N_SLOTS=1/2/4/8)
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simulator: Verilator 5.050 (--binary --timing)
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PASS/FAIL: M4 3/3 PASS (166/446/728 -> 84/204/322 cycles, bit-exact).
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M7 4/4 PASS (wd=67->43 cycles to first dependency check). M8 4/4
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PASS (684->337 cycles). Final campaign 24/24 PASS bit-exact,
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D-Stress cycles roughly halved to a bit more at every N_SLOTS
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(see benchmark.log EXP-0015 for the full table).
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errors: none found during this implementation (clean first-pass
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correctness at every regression point).
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