Research Paper#Heterogeneous Computing, Compiler Optimization, ISA Migration🔬 ResearchAnalyzed: Jan 3, 2026 06:31
Unifico: Efficient Heterogeneous-ISA Thread Migration
Published:Dec 31, 2025 00:24
•1 min read
•ArXiv
Analysis
This paper addresses a critical challenge in heterogeneous-ISA processor design: efficient thread migration between different instruction set architectures (ISAs). The authors introduce Unifico, a compiler designed to eliminate the costly runtime stack transformation typically required during ISA migration. This is achieved by generating binaries with a consistent stack layout across ISAs, along with a uniform ABI and virtual address space. The paper's significance lies in its potential to accelerate research and development in heterogeneous computing by providing a more efficient and practical approach to ISA migration, which is crucial for realizing the benefits of such architectures.
Key Takeaways
- •Unifico is a new multi-ISA compiler designed for heterogeneous-ISA processors.
- •It avoids runtime stack transformation during ISA migration by maintaining a consistent stack layout.
- •Unifico uses LLVM and targets x86-64 and ARMv8 ISAs.
- •It demonstrates minimal performance overhead (less than 6% on high-end processors).
- •Unifico significantly reduces binary size overhead compared to existing solutions.
Reference
“Unifico reduces binary size overhead from ~200% to ~10%, whilst eliminating the stack transformation overhead during ISA migration.”