[llvm-dev] [RFC] Vector Predication (original) (raw)

Bruce Hoult via llvm-dev llvm-dev at lists.llvm.org
Tue Feb 5 05:00:31 PST 2019

On Tue, Feb 5, 2019 at 4:28 AM Simon Moll <moll at cs.uni-saarland.de> wrote:> Thank you for the detailed explanation! I wasn't aware of the current

state of RVV in that regard.

This seems to imply that enforcing MVL changes only per function level is now moot (as in https://lists.llvm.org/pipermail/llvm-dev/2018-April/122517.html).

As Robin said even at that time:

==============

Runtime-varying vector length in the IR

This is achieved by simply declaring "by fiat" that the vector length is determined on function entry and remain constant for the rest of the function execution. Other functions and other calls to the same function may observe a different vector length, but within one call to a given function, the vector length is fixed. That is not precisely how the hardware works, but it is a contract the backend can uphold easily

i.e. that's not a restriction imposed by the hardware, but writing the compiler that way might make the compiler simpler, at the cost of missing out on some of the flexibility in the hardware.

That's still exactly as applicable or inapplicable now as then.

Robin also said then:

============== For scenarios like two entirely separate vectorized loops within one function, it might be useful to drastically change the vector unit configuration in the middle of a function.

So, no real change or disagreement, it's just a question of how to expediently shoehorn something into LLVM, on which I definitely defer to Robin and Alex.

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