US Patent 11983140 Efficient deconfiguration of a reconfigurable data processor

A reconfigurable data processor comprises a bus system, and an array of configurable units connected to the bus system, configurable units in the array including configuration data stores to store unit files comprising a plurality of sub-files of configuration data particular to the corresponding configurable units. A configuration unload controller connected to the bus system, including logic to execute an array configuration unload process, including distributing a command to a plurality of the configurable units in the array to unload the unit files particular to the corresponding configurable units, the unit files each comprising a plurality of ordered sub-files, receiving sub-files via the bus system from the array of configurable units, and assembling an unload configuration file by arranging the received sub-files in memory according to the configurable unit of the unit file of which the sub-file is a part, and the order of the sub-file in the unit file.