* Defining the format of the prefix
* Adding a `setvl` instruction
-* Adding SPRs and working out how to do context-switches
+* Adding Vector-context SPRs and working out how to do
+ context-switches with them
* Writing an awful lot of Specification Documentation
(4 years and counting)
+Once the basics of this concept have sunk in, advancements quickly
+follow:
+
+* Predication (an absolutely critical component for a Vector ISA).
+* Element-width overrides: most Scalar ISAs today are 64-bit only,
+ with primarily Load and Store being able to handle 8/16/32/64
+ and sometimes 128-bit (quad-word), where Vector ISAs need to
+ go as low as 8-bit arithmetic, even 8-bit Floating-Point for
+ high-performance AI.
+* "Reordering" of the assumption of linear sequential element
+ access, for Matrices, rotations, transposition, Convolutions,
+ DCT, FFT, Parallel Prefix-Sum and other common transformations
+ that require significant effort in other ISAs.
+