Importance of the Compiler
The quality of the compiler will determine how much of the potential performance of a VLIW architecture is actually realized.
- When MFLOP figures are specified for VLIW architectures, these are usually for the theoretical performance of the architecture. Actual performance can be quite lower.
Because of the dependence of the compiler on the hardware, new versions of the architectures can force major rewrites of the compiler - very costly
Often the user has to place hints in the high-level code (‘pragmas’) that help the compiler produce more optimal code.