PGI Compilers Target Quad-Core AMD Opteron Processors

PGI develops and markets high-performance parallel C/C++ and Fortran compilers and application debugging and performance profiling tools that are widely used by engineers and scientists in high-performance technical computing (HPTC). PGI compilers and tools are designed to extract maximum performance from the latest multi-core processors from both AMD and Intel. All PGI compilers support generation of PGI Unified Binary executables, which enables developers to leverage the latest processor innovations from both AMD and Intel while treating x64 as a single platform, maximizing flexibility and eliminating the need to target and optimize for two separate processor platforms.

“The comprehensive effort by AMD to engage with vendors like PGI and supply us with all the information and support we need to effectively optimize for their forthcoming processors has been outstanding,” said Douglas Miles, director, The Portland Group. “The performance tuning we are building in to the PGI compilers in support of Quad-core AMD Opteron will show significant benefits for PGI's core science and engineering customers and hopefully for the wider AMD developer community as well.”

Built on AMD’s revolutionary Direct Connect Architecture which improves overall system performance and efficiency by eliminating bottlenecks inherent in traditional front-side bus architectures, the Quad-Core AMD Opteron processor will also introduce several major enhancements that the PGI compilers leverage for improved compile-and-go performance: smart code selection to use the full 128-bit wide floating-point units and avoid merge dependencies; low-overhead inline parallel regions to extend efficient auto-parallelization from dual-core to quad-core; alignment of hot loops to take advantage of the expanded 32 byte code fetch window; highly-optimized bit and string library intrinsics that leverage new ABM and SSE4a instructions; instruction scheduling and selection for improved latency and bandwidth; modified software pre-fetching to complement the Level-1 data cache prefetch hardware; and memory hierarchy optimizations to reduce memory access-related conflicts between cores and to improve throughput efficiency.

“As the shift towards multi-core processor environments accelerates, both PGI and AMD recognize the need for better tools that will help the developer community easily and efficiently leverage the computing performance benefits of dual- and quad-core processors,” said Earl Stahl, vice president of software development, AMD (NYSE: AMD). “The new PGI compilers and development tools will enable developers to optimize their applications for Quad-Core AMD Opteron processors, allowing them to exploit the significant core and cache enhancements and unprecedented levels of efficiency made possible through AMD’s native design, and ultimately deliver greater levels of performance and efficiency for end-users.”

Software developers can generate code targeted at Quad-Core AMD Opteron processors using the latest version 7.0-7 release of the PGI compilers and tools. Version 7.1 of the PGI compilers and tools, scheduled for general availability in Fall 2007, will include additional features and optimizations for Quad-Core AMD Opteron.