compiling for multi-cores

A couple of interesting announcements related to compiling programs for multi-core processor from two very different sides of the industry grabbed several headlines today. On the one side of the spectrum, Intel announced the availability of new C++ and Fortran compilers that optimize program performance on latest Intel multi-core processors. The Intel press release does not yield any performance improvement details; however, EETimes.com reports that a 10-15% percent improvement can be expected over existing compilers – it is unclear if this performance increase is applicable to all applications or only those that can take advantage of Intel’s SIMD extensions and SSE 4 instructions. The compilers are not exactly cheap, starting at $599 and going up to $1,599. The good news though, as also reported by EETimes.com, is that the compilers will be available at student prices as well in the range of $49 to $129.

While the previous press release is clearly posted on Intel’s website, an announcement of Google acquiring start-up PeakStream, who specializes in improving performance of single-threaded applications on multi-core chips, was initially only posted at TheRegister.com. It has since been picked up by several other sources, suggesting that it is most likely credible. Exactly what Google intends to do with this acquisition is anyone’s guess, but speculations are beginning to pop-up all around the web ranging from Google employing the software for personal performance-gains to Google entering the compiler market. One thing is for sure though – while the terms of the deal were not disclosed it can be safely assumed that the venture capital firms most likely got their money's worth.