Compiler optimization for DSP applications

By Eran Belaish, CEVA
Jul 23 2007 (3:00 AM) -- Embedded.com

As DSP processors become more and more powerful, the portion of code that can remain at the C level increases. However, compilers cannot produce optimized code without assistance from the programmer. To maximize the performance, the programmer must tune the compiler using various compilation options.

Unfortunately, it is quite common to find DSP applications that don't take advantage of the tuning capabilities of the compiler. Instead, they are compiled with the same set of compilation options throughout the whole application. This method ignores the special needs of each function.

Smart selection of compilation options can yield a dramatic code performance improvement. For example, code size can be greatly reduced. This is often a major factor when evaluating the cost of a product, as it has a direct influence on the amount of memory required. This article shows how to improve code size consumption as well as the consumption of other important resources.

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