Parallel branch prediction on GPU platform

Abstract

Branch Prediction is a common function in nowadays microprocessor. Branch predictor is duplicated into multiple copies in each core of a multicore and many-core processor and makes prediction for multiple concurrent running programs respectively. To evaluate the parallel branch prediction in many-core processor, existed schemes generally use a parallel simulator running in CPU which does not have a real passive parallel running environment to support a many-core simulation and thus has bad simulating performance. In this paper, we firstly try to use a real many-core platform, GPU, to do a parallel branch prediction for future general purpose many-core processor. We verify the new GPU based parallel branch predictor against the traditional CPU based branch predictor. Experiment result shows that GPU based parallel simulation scheme is a promising way to faster simulating speed for future many-core processor research. © 2010 Springer-Verlag.