Energy-efficient synchronization through program patterns

Abstract

This paper addresses energy consumption in multi-threaded programs. In particular, it demonstrates why synchronizations - a fundamental fabric of multi-core software - may lead to unnecessary energy consumption, and proposes a pattern-based compilation technique to improve energy efficiency. The key insight is that energy efficiency may be improved by adjusting the relative speed of individual threads participating in a synchronization, and different synchronization patterns can offer clues on how adjustments should be made.