Device, method and system for providing branch information to an instruction fetch unit based on a detection of a fall-through event wherein multiple fetched instructions comprise a branch instruction

Abstract

Techniques and architectures for determining a target of a branch instruction. In an embodiment, a processor core detects a fall through event wherein multiple fetched instructions comprise one or more branch instructions. Based on the fall through event, a repository is provided with respective branch information for each of the one or more branch instructions. The repository functions as a cache that is available to an evaluation circuit at an instruction fetch stage of the processor core. Branch information at the repository is accessible to facilitate a relatively early identification of an instruction as being of a branch instruction type. In another embodiment, the early identification enables re-steering of a speculative execution sequence.