Partial evaluation as universal compiler tool - Experiences from the SAC eco system

Compilation of high-level languages, be they domain-specific ones or general purpose ones, typically entails rather sophisticated program analyses to facilitate extensive program manipulations and target architecture-specific code generation. This talk shows how several of these techniques can benefit vastly from the use of partial evaluation techniques; it reflects some of the experiences gained in the context of the ecosystem of compiler tools around the programming language SAC (Single Assignment C). I describe how partial evaluation over the lifetime of the compiler development project has turned into a versatile tool that supports several aspects during the compilation, optimisation and code generation for SAC programs. At three concrete use scenarios in our toolchain: Type inference, constraint resolution and applicationspecific code generation, I demonstrate the gains from partial evaluation. A discussion about limitations, further application potential and possible alternatives concludes the presentation. Categories and Subject Descriptors D.3.4.a [Programming Languages]: Code Generation; D.3.4.b [Programming Languages]: Compilers; D.3.4.d [Programming Languages]: Incremental Compilers; D.3.4.g [Programming Languages]: Optimization.