What is a branch history table in computational architecture?

A branch history table is a data structure used in computational architecture to predict the outcome of conditional branches in computer programs. It keeps a record of the previous outcomes of these branches and uses that information to make predictions about future outcomes. The table usually contains the history of branch decisions in the form of a sequence of bits called a branch history register (BHR). Each entry in the table corresponds to a unique combination of bits in the BHR and stores the information about the last branch decision taken for this combination. The branch history table is used in conjunction with a branch predictor algorithm to improve the performance of processors by reducing the number of mispredicted branches.

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