Branch predictor
US6263428A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | May 29, 1998 |
| Grant date | Jul 17, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 29, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F9/3844
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A branch predictor for predicting an instruction to be executed next to a conditional branch instruction in a program to read the predicted instruction beforehand. The branch predictor includes a hint acquisition section for acquiring a hint when a specified instruction controlling acquisition of the hint is executed wherein said hint indicates whether a branch is to be taken by execution of a conditional branch instruction with which termination of a loop is judged. The branch predictor further includes a hint store section for storing the hint acquired by the hint acquisition section, and an instruction read section for reading an instruction predicted as executed next to a conditional branch instruction in accordance with the hint stored in the hint store section. According to the invention it is possible to accurately predict a branch at the time of loop termination of the loop termination judging conditional branch instruction.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.