Exploring IA-32: Lessons from Analysis and Experience

Abstract

IA-32 is ISA on which market of high-end computing, including personal computers, laptops, workstation, and servers, had grown up at the last three decades. This ISA, along with IBM PC architecture, was one of the main drivers of the personal computer revolution and still is one of the principal ISA on the microprocessor market. The long history of the development of IA-32 and its widespread use in computing devices makes it interesting to analyze and to extract lessons about ISA design based on its current usage. This paper provides an analysis of such sort and highlights conclusions made. We have explored IA-32 ISA using statistical analysis of the compiler-generated code of real-world application of industrial quality and level of optimization. We demonstrate the presence of useless complexity burden born by backward compatibility and speculating about the idea of the design of a simplified version of IA-32 ISA.