XL C/C++ Enterprise Edition for AIX

XL C/C++ Enterprise Edition for AIX, V9.0:
XL C/C++ Enterprise Edition for AIX, V9.0 introduces the following new enhancements:

• Additional optimization options and object code tuning to support the capabilities of the latest IBM processor, the POWER6

• Support removed for older processors (-qarch= com | pwr | pwr2 | pwr2s | p2sc | 601 | 602 | 603 and -qtune= pwr | pwr2 | pwr2s | pwrx | p2sc | 601 | 602 | 603)

• Default language level for C compilation is now extc99

• New default settings, -qarch=ppc and -qtune=balanced

• Support added for decimal floating-point computations

• Support added for C++ language extensions defined by the Draft Technical Report on C++ Library Extensions (TR1)

• New compiler options and suboptions, pragma directives, and built-in functions

Optimization and performance
XL C/C++ offers a number of new optimization and performance-tuning features that exploit all PowerPC systems, including the latest POWER6 architecture. The -qarch and -qtune compiler options now include new suboptions to provide code tuning for the new POWER6. In addition, new built-in functions are introduced in XL C/C++ Enterprise Edition for AIX V9.0 to add functionality and to exploit the capabilities of the new POWER6 processors.

Support for Vector Multimedia Extensions (VMX)
The compiler supports the AltiVec programming model and APIs on VMX-capable systems. You can take advantage of VMX instructions and automatic SIMD vectorization to improve program performance in high-bandwidth data processing and algorithmic-intensive applications.

Mathematical Acceleration Subsystem (MASS)
XL C/C++ Enterprise Edition for AIX adds new scalar and vector functions to the Mathematical Acceleration Subsystem (MASS). MASS consists of libraries of tuned mathematical intrinsic functions that offer improved performance over the standard mathematical library routines, are thread-safe and support both 32-bit and 64-bit compilations in C, C++, and Fortran applications.

Basic Linear Algebra Subprograms (BLAS)
XL C/C++ Enterprise Edition for AIX introduces the Basic Linear Algebra Subprograms (BLAS) set of high-performance algebraic functions. You can use these functions to perform combined matrix multiplication and addition on general matrices or their transposes.

type_traits library
A library of type traits has been approved for inclusion in the Technical Report on C++ Library Extensions (TR1). This library may be proposed for inclusion in a revision to the ISO C++ International Standard in the future. XL C/C++ Enterprise Edition for AIX includes the type traits library.

OpenMP API Version 2.5
The OpenMP Application Programming Interface (API) is a portable, scalable programming model that provides a standard interface for developing multiplatform, shared-memory parallel applications in C, C++, and Fortran. The specification is defined by the OpenMP organization, a group of major computer hardware and software vendors, which includes IBM. XL C/C++ Enterprise Edition for AIX complies with the latest OpenMP API Version 2.5 specification.

Conformance to industry language standards
XL C/C++ conforms to the 2003 C++ International Standard (ISO/IEC 14882:2003).

i5/OS Portable Applications Solutions Environment (i5/OS PASE) Support
XL C/C++ Enterprise Edition for AIX continues to support i5/OS™ PASE on iSeries™. i5/OS PASE provides a broad set of AIX interfaces in a runtime that allows many AIX binaries to execute directly on the PowerPC processors used in iSeries systems. An application running on i5/OS PASE is fully integrated with i5/OS work management, security, backup, file systems and database. You can install and use XL C/C++ Enterprise Edition for AIX in an i5/OS PASE environment that includes PTF SI19860. A separate AIX system is not required.