[1] : The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (27 SEP 03)

branch prediction
     
         a technique used in some processors
        with instruction prefetch to guess whether a conditional
        branch will be taken or not and prefetch code from the
        appropriate location.
     
        when a branch instruction is executed, its address and that of
        the next instruction executed the chosen destination of the
        branch are stored in the branch target buffer.  this
        information is used to predict which way the instruction will
        branch the next time it is executed so that instruction
        prefetch can continue.  when the prediction is correct and it
        is over 90 of the time, executing a branch does not cause a
        pipeline break.
     
        some later cpus simply prefetch both paths instead of trying
        to predict which way the branch will go.
     
        an extension of the idea of branch prediction is speculative
        execution.
     
        1998-03-14
     
     
see also:
instruction prefetch conditional branch branch target buffer pipeline break cpu speculative execution 

Prediction >> P Words
Prediction, definition of term: Prediction
prediction_pag1.html

Branch >> B Words
Branch, definition of term: Branch
branch_pag1.html

Branch Out >> B Words
Branch Out, definition of term: Branch Out
branch+out_pag1.html

Branch Off >> B Words
Branch Off, definition of term: Branch Off
branch+off_pag1.html

Private Branch >> P Words
Private Branch, definition of term: Private Branch
private+branch_pag1.html

Judicial Branch >> J Words
Judicial Branch, definition of term: Judicial Branch
judicial+branch_pag1.html