[LLVMdev] Identifying Compiler Options to Minimize Energy Consumption by Embedded Programs

[James Pallister]

Hi Everyone,

I'd like to announce a project joint between the University of Bristol and Embecosm. In this project we hope to identify what effect a broad range of compiler options has on the energy consumption of different embedded platforms. To do this we are finding a set of relevant benchmarks, compiling them with different options and measuring their energy consumption on these platforms. We originally announce this project at the GCC Cauldron (presentation here http://jpallister.com/wiki/images/4/44/Gcc-cauldron-low-power-9-jul-12.pdf).

Questions we'd like to answer:
 - Which set of benchmarks are suitable for embedded applications and representative of possible applications?
 - What compiler options have the most effect on the power consumption of the device?
 - Does choice of compiler make any difference (LLVM or GCC)?
 - Does optimizing for speed give the same results as optimizing for energy usage?
 - Does choice of architecture make a difference?


We are very interesting in getting opinions and for everyone to be able to see the progress of this project, so a wiki has been set up. You can access the wiki here: http://jpallister.com/wiki

I give you occasional updates here as the work progresses.
All contributions and feedback are very welcome.

Thanks,
James Pallister