Storing incidental branch predictions to reduce latency of misprediction recovery
US12204908B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 4, 2018 |
| Grant date | Jan 21, 2025 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 4, 2038 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F9/3861
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A branch predictor predicts a first outcome of a first branch in a first block of instructions. Fetch logic fetches instructions for speculative execution along a first path indicated by the first outcome. Information representing a remainder of the first block is stored in response to the first predicted outcome being taken. In response to the first branch instruction being not taken, the branch predictor is restarted based on the remainder block. In some cases, entries corresponding to second blocks along speculative paths from the first block are accessed using an address of the first block as an index into a branch prediction structure. Outcomes of branch instructions in the second blocks are concurrently predicted using a corresponding set of instances of branch conditional logic and the predicted outcomes are used in combination with the remainder block to restart the branch predictor in response to mispredictions.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.