Sebastian Pop

ACOTES project: Advanced compiler technologies for embedded streaming

Streaming applications are built of data-driven, computational components, consuming and producing unbounded data streams. Streaming oriented systems have become dominant in a wide range of domains, including embedded applications and DSPs. However, programming efficiently for streaming architectures is a challenging task, having to carefully partition the computation and map it to processes in a way that best matches the underlying streaming architecture, taking into account the distributed resources (memory, processing, real-time requirements) and communication overheads (processing and delay). These challenges have led to a number of suggested solutions, whose goal is to improve the programmer’s productivity in developing applications that process massive streams of data on programmable, parallel embedded architectures. StreamIt is one such example. Another more recent approach is that developed by the ACOTES project (Advanced Compiler Technologies for Embedded Streaming). The ACOTES approach for streaming applications consists of compiler-assisted mapping of streaming tasks to highly parallel systems in order to maximize cost-effectiveness, both in terms of energy and in terms of design effort. The analysis and transformation techniques automate large parts of the partitioning and mapping process, based on the properties of the application domain, on the quantitative information about the target systems, and on programmer directives. This paper presents the outcomes of the ACOTES project, a 3-year collaborative work of industrial (NXP, ST, IBM, Silicon Hive, NOKIA) and academic (UPC, INRIA, MINES ParisTech) partners, and advocates the use of Advanced Compiler Technologies that we developed to support Embedded Streaming.

Optimistic Delinearization of Parametrically Sized Arrays

A number of legacy codes make use of linearized array references (i.e., references to one-dimensional arrays) to encode accesses to multi-dimensional arrays. This is also true of a number of optimized libraries and the well-known LLVM intermediate representation, which linearize array accesses. In many cases, the only information available is an array base pointer and a single dimensional offset. For problems with parametric array extents, this offset is usually a multivariate polynomial. Compiler analyses such as data dependence analysis are impeded because the standard formulations with integer linear programming (ILP) solvers cannot be used. In this paper, we present an approach to delinearization, i.e., recovering the multi-dimensional nature of accesses to arrays of parametric size. In case of insufficient static information, the developed algorithm produces run-time conditions to validate the recovered multi-dimensional form. The obtained access description enhances the precision of data dependence analysis. Experimental evaluation in the context of the LLVM/Polly system using a number of benchmarks reveals significant performance benefits due to increased precision of dependence analysis and enhanced optimization opportunities that are exploited by the compiler after delinearization.