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9 Types of Two Level Branch Predictor

The document explains the Two-Level Adaptive Branch Predictor, a dynamic branch prediction technique that utilizes two levels of history tracking to enhance accuracy. It categorizes nine types of predictors based on first-level and second-level mechanisms, detailing their advantages and disadvantages. The adaptive nature of these predictors allows them to learn and adjust to changing branch behaviors, making them effective for modern high-performance CPUs.

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12 views

9 Types of Two Level Branch Predictor

The document explains the Two-Level Adaptive Branch Predictor, a dynamic branch prediction technique that utilizes two levels of history tracking to enhance accuracy. It categorizes nine types of predictors based on first-level and second-level mechanisms, detailing their advantages and disadvantages. The adaptive nature of these predictors allows them to learn and adjust to changing branch behaviors, making them effective for modern high-performance CPUs.

Uploaded by

maneabhishek5355
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Types of Two Level Branch

Predictor
Detailed Explanation of the 9 Types of Two-Level Adaptive Branch Predictors

The Two-Level Adaptive Branch Predictor, introduced by Yeh and Patt (1991), is an
advanced dynamic branch prediction technique that achieves high accuracy by using two
levels of branch history tracking:

1. First Level (Branch History Register - BHR or BHSR) → Captures recent branch
outcomes.
2. Second Level (Pattern History Table - PHT) → Uses history patterns to predict
future branches.

Yeh and Patt categorized nine different implementations of two-level predictors based on:

 First-Level Branch History Mechanism (Global G, Per-Address P, Per-Set S)


 Second-Level Pattern Table Mechanism (Global g, Per-Address p, Per-Set s)

These implementations use the notation XAy, where:

 X represents the first-level history type (G, P, S)


 A signifies an Adaptive FSM-based prediction
 y represents the second-level pattern table type (g, p, s).

1. First-Level Mechanism (Branch History Register -


BHR)
The first level of the predictor determines how the branch history is maintained:

(G) Global History

 Single global BHR shared by all branches.


 Tracks the last N dynamic branches.
 Advantage: Captures long-range correlations between branches.
 Disadvantage: Can cause aliasing, where different branches interfere with each
other.

(P) Per-Branch (Per-Address) History

 Each branch has its own individual history register.


 Advantage: Avoids aliasing between different branches.
 Disadvantage: Requires more storage.

(S) Per-Set History

 Branches are divided into sets; each set shares a history register.
 Uses hashing or PC-based partitioning.
 Advantage: Reduces aliasing while using less storage than P.
 Disadvantage: Some aliasing remains.

2. Second-Level Mechanism (Pattern History Table -


PHT)
The second level consists of Pattern History Tables (PHTs) that use 2-bit saturating
counters to make predictions based on history patterns.

(g) Global Pattern Table

 Single shared PHT for all branches.


 Indexed using global branch history.
 Advantage: Captures long-range correlations.
 Disadvantage: High aliasing.

(p) Per-Branch (Per-Address) Pattern Table

 Each branch gets its own PHT.


 Indexed using per-branch history.
 Advantage: Reduces aliasing significantly.
 Disadvantage: Requires more storage.

(s) Per-Set Pattern Table

 Groups of branches share a PHT.


 Indexed using set-based partitioning (e.g., hashing PC bits).
 Advantage: Reduces storage compared to p while limiting aliasing.
 Disadvantage: Some aliasing may still occur.

3. The 9 Types of Two-Level Adaptive Branch Predictors


Predictor First-Level Second-Level
Characteristics
Type (History) (Pattern Table)
Simple & compact, but suffers high
GAg Global (G) Global (g)
aliasing.
GAp Global (G) Per-Address (p) Reduces aliasing while using less
Predictor First-Level Second-Level
Characteristics
Type (History) (Pattern Table)
storage than PAp.
Balances aliasing & storage but still
GAs Global (G) Per-Set (s)
shares history globally.
Separate history for each branch but
PAg Per-Address (P) Global (g)
shared prediction table.
Highest accuracy, but largest storage
PAp Per-Address (P) Per-Address (p)
cost.
PAs Per-Address (P) Per-Set (s) Compromise between PAp & PAg.
Reduces aliasing but has limited
SAg Per-Set (S) Global (g)
correlation tracking.
Tracks history per-set, but uses
SAp Per-Set (S) Per-Address (p)
separate tables per branch.
Balanced tradeoff between aliasing &
SAs Per-Set (S) Per-Set (s)
storage.

4. Why is Two-Level Prediction Called Adaptive?


The two-level adaptive predictor is adaptive because: ✔ It learns dynamic branch
behavior over time.
✔ It adjusts to changing patterns in branch execution.
✔ It captures correlations between multiple branches, unlike single-level predictors that
only track individual branches.

By using historical branch behavior, these predictors dynamically refine their predictions,
reducing mispredictions and improving performance in modern superscalar processors.

5. Real-World Use Cases


Many modern CPUs use variants of two-level adaptive prediction:

🔹 Intel Processors (Pentium Pro, Pentium 4, Core i7)

 Use GAp & PAp-based hybrid predictors.


 Integrated with gshare (global history XOR’d with branch address).

🔹 AMD Processors (Athlon, Opteron, Ryzen)

 Implement tournament predictors combining GAp and PAp.

🔹 IBM POWER Processors

 POWER4 & POWER5 used PAs and hybrid predictors.


🔹 AI & Gaming (GPUs & Consoles)

 NVIDIA & AMD GPUs employ two-level branch prediction to optimize shaders
and parallel execution.

6. Summary
1️ Two-level adaptive prediction improves accuracy by tracking historical branch
patterns.
2️ Nine different variations exist, balancing accuracy, storage, and aliasing reduction.
3️ Global (G), Per-Address (P), and Per-Set (S) history tracking determines first-level
behavior.
4️ Global (g), Per-Address (p), and Per-Set (s) pattern tables define second-level
behavior.
5️ Adaptive predictors dynamically learn and adjust to changing program behavior,
making them highly efficient for modern processors.

These predictors are widely used in high-performance CPUs and help maintain pipeline
efficiency in superscalar architectures. 🚀

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