Performance of the Prototype Fortran D Compiler

✍ Scribed by CHAU-WEN TSENG

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1997
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 667 KB
• Volume: 27
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0038-0644
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1097-024x(199707)27:7<763::aid-spe101>3.0.co;2-u

✦ Synopsis

Fortran D is a version of Fortran enhanced with data decomposition specifications. Case studies illustrate strengths and weaknesses of the prototype Fortran D compiler when compiling linear algebra codes and whole programs. Statement groups, execution conditions, inter-loop communication optimizations, multireductions, and array kills for replicated arrays are identified as new compilation issues. On the Intel iPSC/860, the output of the prototype Fortran D compiler approaches the performance of hand-optimized code for parallel computations, but needs improvement for linear algebra and pipelined codes. The Fortran D compiler outperforms the CM Fortran compiler (2.1 beta) by a factor of four or more on the TMC CM-5 when not using vector units. Its performance is comparable to the DEC and IBM HPF compilers on a Alpha cluster and SP-2. Better analysis, run-time support, and flexibility are required for the prototype compiler to be useful for a wider range of programs.