JIT-ing a stack machine (with SLJIT)
3 days ago
- #Performance Optimization
- #Stack Machine
- #JIT Compilation
- The article discusses the process of JIT (Just-In-Time) compiling a stack machine, specifically the uxn virtual machine, using SLJIT.
- Initial attempts at JIT compilation showed minimal performance improvements, leading to the implementation of several optimizations to enhance speed.
- Key optimizations include call optimization for better branch prediction and memory access elimination, and stack access elimination to reduce memory operations.
- The article details the challenges and solutions for dynamic jumps across functions, register allocation, and handling uxn's short and keep modes.
- Additional optimizations like combining immediate loads, boolean jumps, simplifying POP operations, and JIT-ing the trampoline are explored.
- Debugging techniques such as IR decoration and GDB integration are highlighted for better development and troubleshooting.
- The conclusion emphasizes that JIT compilation is not a magic solution and requires careful optimization to achieve significant performance gains.