Branch instructions

The branch instructions are used to change the sequence of instruction execution.

Use branch instructions to change the sequence of instruction execution.

Since all branch instructions are on word boundaries, the processor performing the branch ignores bits 30 and 31 of the generated branch target address. All branch instructions can be used in unprivileged state.

A branch instruction computes the target address in one of four ways:

• Target address is the sum of a constant and the address of the branch instruction itself.
• Target address is the absolute address given as an operand to the instruction.
• Target address is the address found in the Link Register.
• Target address is the address found in the Count Register.

Using the first two of these methods, the target address can be computed sufficiently ahead of the branch instructions to prefetch instructions along the target path.

Using the third and fourth methods, prefetching instructions along the branch path is also possible provided the Link Register or the Count Register is loaded sufficiently ahead of the branch instruction.

The branch instructions include Branch Unconditional and Branch Conditional. In the various target forms, branch instructions generally either branch unconditionally only, branch unconditionally and provide a return address, branch conditionally only, or branch conditionally and provide a return address. If a branch instruction has the Link bit set to 1, then the Link Register is altered to store the return address for use by an invoked subroutine. The return address is the address of the instruction immediately following the branch instruction.

The assembler supports various extended mnemonics for branch instructions that incorporate the BO field only or the BO field and a partial BI field into the mnemonics.