Method and apparatus for performing sequential executions of elements in cooperation with a transform
US6715064B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jan 21, 2000 |
| Grant date | Mar 30, 2004 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 21, 2020 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F9/3848
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A method and apparatus for predicting the outcome of a branch instruction based on the branch history of preceding branch instruction. As a sequence of instructions passes through an instruction execution pipeline, a base branch instruction is chosen, a history index is generated for the base branch instruction and subsequent branch instructions, and a transform is created for the branch instruction to be predicted. When the sequence of instructions subsequently passes through the pipeline again, the transform is used to operate on the history index of the base branch instruction to produce a history index for the branch to be predicted. The result is used as an index into a prediction array to access the prediction logic for the branch instruction being predicted. By using the predetermined transform, a branch status prediction can be made before the branch to be predicted reaches the normal prediction stage in the pipeline.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.