Superoptimization

Superoptimization is the process of automatically finding the optimal code sequence for one loop-free sequence of instructions. It is performed in and by a type of computer software termed a compiler. Real-world compilers generally cannot produce genuinely optimal code. While most standard compiler optimizations only improve code partly, a superoptimizer's goal is to find the optimal sequence, the canonical form.

The term superoptimization was first coined by Alexia Massalin in the 1987 paper Superoptimizer: A Look at the Smallest Program.[1] In 1992, the GNU Superoptimizer (GSO) was developed to integrate into the GNU Compiler Collection (GCC).[2][3] Later work further developed and extended these ideas. In 2001, goal-directed superoptimizing was demonstrated in the Denali project by Compaq research.[4] In 2006, answer set declarative programming was used for superoptimising in the Total Optimisation using Answer Set Technology (TOAST) project at the University of Bath,[5][6] and superoptimizing was used to automatically generate general-purpose peephole optimizers.[7]

Typically, superoptimizing is performed via exhaustive brute-force search in the space of valid instruction sequences. This is a costly method, and thus impractical for general-purpose compilers. Yet, it has been shown to be useful in optimizing performance-critical inner loops.