A survey of techniques for dynamic branch prediction. (2nd September 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Mittal, Sparsh
• Is Part Of: Concurrency and computation. Volume 31:Number 1(2019)
• Page Start: n/a
• Page End: n/a
• Publication Date: 2018-09-02
• Subjects: dynamic branch predictor -- hybrid BP -- neural BP -- perceptron predictorside BP -- pipelining -- predictor accuracy -- review -- side BP -- speculative execution -- two‐level BP; Parallel processing (Electronic computers) -- Periodicals; Parallel computers -- Periodicals; 004.35
• DOI: 10.1002/cpe.4666
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1532-0626

Abstract

Summary: Branch predictor (BP) is an essential component in modern processors since high BP accuracy can improve performance and reduce energy by decreasing the number of instructions executed on wrong‐path. However, reducing the latency and storage overhead of BP while maintaining high accuracy presents significant challenges. In this paper, we present a survey of dynamic branch prediction techniques. We classify the works based on key features to underscore their differences and similarities. We believe this paper will spark further research in this area and will be useful for computer architects, processor designers, and researchers.