Method for identifying hard-to-predict branches to enhance proce

Details Method for identifying hard-to-predict branches to enhance proce Method for identifying hard-to-predict branches to enhance proce

1997-11-28

1999-08-03

Maung, Zarni

395581, 395586, G06F 900

Patent

active

059336285

ABSTRACT:
A method and apparatus for handling branch instructions contained within a source program includes applying a set of heuristics to classify each of the branch instructions in the source program as either a hard-to-predict type or a simple type of branch. A system implements a multi-heuristic branch predictor comprising a large, relatively simple branch predictor having many entries, to accommodate the majority of branch instructions encountered in a program, and a second, relatively small, sophisticated branch predictor having a few entries. The sophisticated branch predictor predicts the target addresses of the hard-to-predict branches. By mapping hard-to-predict branches to the sophisticated branch predictor, and easy-to-predict branches to the relatively simple branch predictor, overall performance is enhanced.

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