Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Controlling prediction functional blocks used by a branch predictor in a processor

Patent ·
OSTI ID:1925103

An electronic device includes a processor, a branch predictor in the processor, and a predictor controller in the processor. The branch predictor includes multiple prediction functional blocks, each prediction functional block configured for generating predictions for control transfer instructions (CTIs) in program code based on respective prediction information, the branch predictor configured to select, from among predictions generated by the prediction functional blocks for each CTI, a selected prediction to be used for that CTI. The predictor controller keeps a record of prediction functional blocks from which the branch predictor previously selected predictions for CTIs. The predictor controller uses information from the record for controlling which prediction functional blocks are used by the branch predictor for generating predictions for CTIs.

Research Organization:
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
DOE Contract Number:
AC52-07NA27344
Assignee:
Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (Santa Clara, CA)
Patent Number(s):
11,442,727
Application Number:
16/895,825
OSTI ID:
1925103
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (5)

A new case for the TAGE branch predictor conference December 2011
An Improved Data Stream Summary: The Count-Min Sketch and Its Applications book January 2004
Power-Aware Branch Predictor Update for High-Performance Processors book January 2003
Analysis of the O-GEometric History Length Branch Predictor journal May 2005
Fine-Grain Power Breakdown of Modern Out-of-Order Cores and Its Implications on Skylake-Based Systems journal December 2016

Similar Records

Controlling accesses to a branch prediction unit for sequences of fetch groups
Patent · Mon Nov 30 23:00:00 EST 2020 · OSTI ID:1771691

Controlling accesses to a branch prediction unit for sequences of fetch groups
Patent · Mon Nov 28 23:00:00 EST 2022 · OSTI ID:1986851

Branch classification: A new mechanism for improving branch predictor performance
Journal Article · Sun Mar 31 23:00:00 EST 1996 · International Journal of Parallel Programming · OSTI ID:273919

Related Subjects