Identifying Compiler Options to Minimize Energy Consumption by Embedded Programs

[James Pallister <james dot pallister at embecosm dot com>]

Hi Everyone,

Firstly, thanks for the great reception we got at the GCC Cauldron - it was nice meeting you.

This is just a quick follow up email with regards to the presentation (available here http://jpallister.com/wiki/images/4/44/Gcc-cauldron-low-power-9-jul-12.pdf).


A quick recap of what this project is about: 
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.

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