Green Hills Software's Software Optimizing Compiler to Support Powe PC's AltiVec Technology

<%=company1%> today announced a new optimizing C/C++ compiler for the PowerPC architecture that provides extensive support for Motorola's AltiVec technology, which is featured in their new MPC7400 processor. The new Green Hills compiler makes it easy for PowerPC developers to take full advantage of AltiVec's high-performance vector processing capabilities.

"Smart compilers are the key to unlocking the performance potential of advanced vector processing technologies like AltiVec," said John Carbone, vice president of marketing at Green Hills. "Our compilers not only make it easy for programmers to access the AltiVec instructions, but provide optimizations that enable those instructions to be utilized in the most effective manner."

"AltiVec provides a quantum boost in vector processing capability for the PowerPC architecture," added Kalpesh Gala, product manager for AltiVec technology at Motorola. "Green Hills' MULTI Integrated Development Environment and optimizing C/C++ compiler makes it possible for programmers to take full advantage of AltiVec's vector processing capabilities without having to be experts in AltiVec assembly language."

AltiVec is a SIMD (Single Instruction Multiple Data) vector processing technology for the Power PC architecture that enables the CPU to perform computationally intensive tasks without the need for a dSP or other coprocessor. The AltiVec vector processing unit can work on 128 bits of data at a time, processing up to four 32-bit, eight 16-bit, or 16 8-bit elements in parallel.

Green Hills' optimizing C/C++ compiler implements the AltiVec Programming model, a set of high-level intrinsics that enable programmers to access AltiVec instructions without having to program in assembly language. Green Hills' optimizing compiler also makes it easy for programmers to take full advantage of other PowerPC processing also makes it easy for programmers to take full advantage of other Power PC processing facilities that can operate in parallel, including its two integer units and other floating point unit.

Green Hills' C/C++ compiler handles all scheduling activity for the PowerPC's integer, floating point, and vector processing units. To maximize scheduling efficiency, the compiler interleaves instructions between execution units and rearranges code to hide data load latency. The compiler also analyzes data dependencies and program flow to take advantage of the PowerPC's dual fetch (for instructions) and out-of-order scheduling abilities, and unrolls loops so that they can be executed in parallel.

Another way that the compiler enhances performance is by taking advantage of the AltVec instruction for reordering bytes within a word to fit a given pattern. This is useful for recognizing and resolving load and store operations to misaligned memory, such as I/O devices.

Green Hills' C/C++ compilers are tightly integrated with the MULTI 2000 IDE, which automates all aspects of embedded software development for PowerPC processors. Available for Windows 95/98, Windows NT, and Unix host platforms, the MULTI IDE features a window-oriented editor, source-level debugger, graphical program builder, run-time error checker, version control system, performance profiler, optimizing, profiler (CodeBalance), and real-time RTOS EventAnalyzer. MULTI also features an instruction set simulator that allows programmers to develop and test code on a PC or workstation without the need for the target hardware.

Green Hills offers AltiVec support for its PowerPC C/C++ compiler, now at beta sites, and scheduled for production release in May. The compiler comes bundled with the MULTI 2000 IDE, which costs $5900 (single-seat developer's license) for the Windows version and $8900 for the Unix version.