PROCESSOR PROVIDED WITH A DATA VALUE PREDICTION CIRCUIT AND A BRANCH PREDICTION CIRCUIT

A processor includes at least one functional unit configured to execute an instruction. The processor also includes an instruction window configured to supply the instruction to the functional unit. The processor further includes a register file configured such that data and a result of execution of the instruction are temporarily stored in the register file. The processor still further includes a branch prediction circuit having a branch execution unit and a branch prediction table. The processor also includes a data value prediction circuit configured to predict a first operand value which will be used by the functional unit and a second operand value which will be used by the branch execution unit to predict a direction of a branch and to store the direction of the branch in the branch prediction table. With such a processor, a branch prediction is made by executing a branch instruction rather than by referring to the history of the branch instruction.