Unlock the Power of Intel's Parallel Studio XE 2013 with Elizabeth Schneider

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Elizabeth Schneider's Role at Intel
• Support for OpenMP 4.0
• Advantages of Explicit Vector Programming
• Standardizing Intel Silk Plus
• Hidden Gems in the Latest Update
• Final Advice for Parallel Software Development

Introduction

In this article, we will explore the world of Intel software development with Elizabeth Schneider, the Compiler Technical Support Manager at Intel. Elizabeth will provide insights into various aspects of Intel's software offerings and shed light on topics like support for OpenMP 4.0, the advantages of explicit vector programming, standardizing Intel Silk Plus, Hidden Gems in the latest update, and some final advice for Parallel software development.

Elizabeth Schneider's Role at Intel

Elizabeth Schneider holds the position of Compiler Technical Support Manager at Intel. In this role, she oversees a global team of technical consulting engineers who provide web-based support, training, and assistance with customer issues related to Intel's compiler products. The focus of her team's work is to constantly improve Intel's product line, particularly with regards to compilers.

Support for OpenMP 4.0

OpenMP 4.0 has been generating a lot of buzz in the developer community. Elizabeth provides an overview of the key features Intel has added to support OpenMP 4.0, specifically the cmd directive and the target directive. The cmd directive extends the OpenMP specification beyond tasking and includes threading and vectorization. By leveraging the cmd directive, developers can provide additional information to the compiler regarding the serial semantics of C++, Fortran, and other programming languages. This enables improved communication between the developer and the compiler, resulting in enhanced optimization.

Advantages of Explicit Vector Programming

Elizabeth delves deeper into the advantages of explicit vector programming with the cmd directive. She compares auto vectorization to explicit vector programming and highlights the benefits of the latter. Explicit vector programming allows developers to provide more information to the compiler than it can determine on its own. By using OpenMP in the task space, developers can relay additional information about parallelization to the compiler. The same principle applies to explicit vector programming, which extends and enhances auto vectorization, providing developers with more control over the optimization process.

Standardizing Intel Silk Plus

Intel Silk Plus, a set of features introduced in 2010 in Intel's compiler, has gained significant popularity among developers. Elizabeth discusses Intel's efforts to standardize Intel Silk Plus, making it compatible with other compilers like GCC and LLVM. The goal is to ensure that developers have the flexibility to utilize the features of Intel Silk Plus across multiple compilers. Elizabeth informs us that Intel has made progress in this regard, with a branch for Intel Silk Plus already existing in GCC. Continual work is underway to incorporate Intel Silk Plus features into other compilers, further benefiting the developer community.

Hidden Gems in the Latest Update

With every update, Intel unveils new features and enhancements to their development tools. Elizabeth highlights the importance for developers to stay informed about the latest updates through Intel's registration center. One hidden gem she mentions is the V-Tune Amplifier, which releases new versions every six weeks, each with unique and useful features. By keeping up to date with the latest versions, developers can benefit from these new features and maximize the potential of Intel's development suite. Elizabeth also mentions an upcoming SP1 release, currently in beta testing, that will introduce an online installer and a GUI installer for Linux users, making the installation process more user-friendly.

Final Advice for Parallel Software Development

As the article concludes, Elizabeth provides some valuable advice for developers looking to venture into parallel software development. She urges developers to embrace the target directive, a standardized syntax for offloading computation to coprocessors like the Intel Xeon Phi. Alongside the support for OpenMP 4.0, the target directive is a crucial tool for parallelizing code efficiently. Elizabeth emphasizes the importance of staying up to date with Intel's releases, trying out new versions as they become available, and leveraging the added features to optimize the development process.

Highlights

• Elizabeth Schneider, Compiler Technical Support Manager at Intel, shares insights into Intel's software offerings.
• Support for OpenMP 4.0 extends to the cmd and target directives, enabling improved optimization and parallelization.
• Explicit vector programming allows developers to relay additional information to the compiler, enhancing auto vectorization.
• Intel is working towards standardizing Intel Silk Plus to ensure compatibility across multiple compilers like GCC and LLVM.
• V-Tune Amplifier releases frequent updates with new features that developers should be aware of.
• An upcoming SP1 release will introduce an online installer and GUI installer for Linux, improving the installation experience.
• Developers are advised to leverage the target directive for efficient parallel software development.

FAQ

Q: What is the role of Elizabeth Schneider at Intel? A: Elizabeth Schneider is the Compiler Technical Support Manager at Intel. She oversees a global team of technical consulting engineers responsible for providing support and training related to Intel's compiler products.

Q: What are the advantages of explicit vector programming? A: Explicit vector programming allows developers to provide more information to the compiler, enhancing auto vectorization. It gives developers more control over the optimization process and improves parallelization.

Q: How is Intel standardizing Intel Silk Plus? A: Intel is working towards standardizing Intel Silk Plus by making it compatible with other compilers like GCC and LLVM. Compatibility across compilers ensures that developers can benefit from the features of Intel Silk Plus regardless of the compiler they choose.

Q: Are there any hidden gems in the latest update of Intel's development suite? A: Yes, the V-Tune Amplifier releases regular updates with new features. Developers should stay informed about these updates to take full advantage of the enhanced functionality.

Q: What can developers expect from the upcoming SP1 release? A: The upcoming SP1 release will introduce an online installer and GUI installer for Linux users, making the installation process more user-friendly.

Q: What advice does Elizabeth Schneider have for developers venturing into parallel software development? A: Elizabeth advises developers to leverage the target directive, stay up to date with Intel's releases, try out new versions of Intel's products, and make use of added features to optimize the development process.

Resources

• Intel Software
• OpenMP