[Openmcl-devel] Speed, compilers and multi-core processors

[Glen Foy]

I was browsing comp.compilers today and came across this:

" The thing that differentiates multiple cores within the same
processor die with multiple processors is their use of a common cache
and possibly pipelines and also the fact that communication from core
to core within the same processor die is faster than across processor
dies. Previously, communication overhead used to significantly hamper
scheduling parts of a program across processors, and this is lower for
cores within the same processor.

...

Most of the activity has been on adapting sequential programs to take
advantage of multi-core architectures because Moore's law is being hit
i.e. processor speeds are not doubling and so manufacturers are forced
to expand sideways and add more cores instead of increasing clock
frequency. But the sequential programs once written will not show an
improvement in speed unless the additional cores are utilized and that
is where compiler writers are trying to find ways to show performance
gain. "


My ignorance of compiler design is breathtaking, but could multi-core  
compiler techniques be used to compensate for Intel's register-starved  
architecture?

(Apologies if this makes it to the list twice.)




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