Fetch ahead branch target buffer
US10664280B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 9, 2015 |
| Grant date | May 26, 2020 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 4, 2037 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F2212/452
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A fetch ahead branch target buffer is used by a branch predictor to determine a target address for a branch instruction based on a fetch pointer for a previous fetch bundle, i.e. a fetch bundle which is fetched prior to a fetch bundle which includes the branch instruction. An entry in the fetch ahead branch target buffer corresponds to one branch instruction and comprises a data portion identifying the target address of that branch instruction. In various examples, an entry also comprises a tag portion which stores data identifying the fetch pointer by which the entry is indexed. Branch prediction is performed by matching an index generated using a received fetch pointer to the tag portions to identify a matching entry and then determining the target address for the branch instruction from the data portion of the matching entry.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.