Patent · US Expired

System and method for processing a plurality of branch instructions by a plurality of storage devices and pipeline units

US6055630A · kind A · utility

48Cited by
5References
23Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateApr 20, 1998
Grant dateApr 25, 2000
Priority date
Expiry dateApr 20, 2018

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F9/3867
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

An instruction pipeline in a microprocessor is provided. The instruction pipeline includes a plurality of pipeline units, each of the pipeline units processing a plurality of instructions including branch instructions. The instruction pipeline further includes a plurality of storage device which store a respective branch information data. Each of the storage devices are associated with at least one of pipeline units. Each respective branch information data is determined as a function of at least one of the branch instructions processed. Two of the pipeline units include branch prediction circuitry for predicting branch direction as a function of the stored branch information data.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.