Patent Document ID: 8028180
Application ID: 12034025
Patent Flag: 1

Claim One:
1. A method for power conservation in a hierarchical branch predictor system, comprising: addressing multiple branch predictors in parallel or sequentially, each of the branch predictors comprising various sizes of hierarchical storage, the branch predictors storing information about previously encountered branch instructions; comparing the first branch prediction with previously-stored branch predictions to determine the existence of a branch prediction loop responsive to receiving a first branch prediction from one or more of the branch predictors, the branch prediction loop including a sequence of branch predictions that repeat as long as constituent predictions of the branches remain unchanged; associating the branch prediction loop with the branch predictors that provided each branch prediction responsive to determining that a branch prediction loop exists; activating power saving on the branch predictors that are not associated with the branch prediction loop; and deactivating power saving upon determining that branch predictions are needed from branch predictors not associated with the branch prediction loop.