1. Optimization for the Linux kernel and Linux OS C. Tyler McAdams

2. The present state of the Kernel

3. There are many spork kernels
Who could for get the iMac line?
Beautiful
Sold well
Optimized?! No. Too much debugger code (riiiight)
Slow as crap but had iTunes!

4. Why do distro kernels end up sporks?
They have to be ready to work with anything.
They have no idea what cpu you're going to put it on
Everybody's fav: Backwards compatibility

5. What if we could custom build?
Target the CPU arch
Target the system use
Remove code bulk that is not needed for the design
Use a compiler expressly designed for optimization

6. Linux + ICC Makes this Possible!
Linux is open source so we can shape it like an artist does clay
ICC employs powerful optimization techniques that can exploit this openness for speed

7. So what does ICC add to the Mix?
IPO Interprocedural optimization
PGO Profile Guided Optimization
Highend Vectorization
Highend Math Algorithms
Optimized threading

8. IPO: Interprocedural Optimization
IPO is a heuristically based optimization scheme that can be implemented on entire programs or single files. IPO can eliminate inefficient wasted use of cpu registers, and SIMD units and more.

9. PGO: Profile Guided Optimization
PGO uses multiple stages to create code that executes optimality for what ever the system is being used for
Stage 1: make, execute and analyze execution
Stage 2: make and optimize with stage 1 data

10. Vectorization: MMX, SSE*, etc
Vectorization was first used back in the '60s as a way to instrument the compiler to find and optimize loops analyzed in code. Today more practical examples of it's use is apps like Photoshop

11. Other Diversified ICC Existentials
Debugger
Threading Building Blocks
Integrated Performance Primitives
Math Kernel Library