Matrix multiplication is a fundamental operation in computer science, and it’s also an expensive one. In this article, we’ll explore how to optimize the operation for parallelism and locality by looking at different algorithms for matrix multiplication. We’ll also look at some cache interference issues that can arise when using multiple cores or accessing memory differently on each core.
The Matrix-Multiplication Algorithm:
Matrix multiplication is a basic operation in linear algebra. It is used in many applications, including image processing (e.g., for edge detection), signal processing (e.g., for Fourier transforms), and statistics (e.g., to solve linear systems of equations). In addition, it is an important operation in parallel computing because it involves storing data elements on multiple processors instead of only one processor at a time; thus the best way to execute this algorithm efficiently is by using multiple processors simultaneously.
The naive way to implement matrix multiplication is to use a nested loop that performs the following steps:
- Matrix-matrix multiplications are usually done using BLAS (Basic Linear Algebra Subroutines), which are well-optimized libraries provided by most computer algebra systems. However, some applications require more control over the computational process than what these libraries can provide.
- In such cases, it is useful to understand how the BLAS work and to implement matrix multiplication from scratch. This section describes how to do this for a two-dimensional (2D) array of size NxN where N is an integer greater than 1.
- The naive way to implement matrix multiplication is by using a nested loop.
- The outer loop iterates over each row of A,
- While the inner loop iterates over each column of B.
Optimizations:
There are a few optimization techniques that can be used to improve the performance of your code.
- Data layout optimization: This is where your data is laid out so that as many registers are used as possible, with no wasted space. If a variable has been allocated in memory, it is not necessary to access it again until its value changes (or when it is needed for an operation). The compiler will automatically arrange the variables in such a way that they are accessed frequently and stored close together on physical pages of memory. This helps reduce cache misses and improves overall performance when using parallel processors or GPUs.
- Inline expansion: The compiler will expand functions, or methods, that are called frequently. This means that instead of calling the function or method, the code is inserted into the calling program at runtime. This reduces the amount of time spent jumping between modules and improves performance.
- Interprocedural optimization: This is one of the most important optimization techniques. It allows the compiler to analyze code at a higher level than just individual functions or methods. It can determine when variables are being accessed, which variables are never used, and how loops can be optimized.
- Profile-driven optimization: This is a more advanced form of interprocedural optimization that allows the compiler to optimize code based on how it is called. For example, if one section of code calls a function or method 100 times in a row with the same input parameters, then the compiler can optimize that section of code by moving it into its own module and reducing the amount of time spent jumping between modules.
- Function inlining: This common optimization technique allows the compiler to replace functions with their contents, eliminating the overhead associated with calling and returning from a function.
Cache Interference:
Cache Interference is the problem of a given data layout interfering with the cache hierarchy. The simplest form of Cache Interference occurs when two independent instructions access different memory locations in memory and then use a load/store instruction to move data between those locations.
Cache Interference can also be reduced by blocking matrix multiplication operations from occurring at all times, which will cause unused rows to stay blocked until there are no pending requests for information about them anymore. The problem with this approach is that it reduces the performance of a matrix multiplication significantly, and in some cases can even cause an error.
A more recent problem with cache interference is that of an instruction that depends on the value of a register changing when this register has been accessed by another instruction somewhere else in memory. This can happen if two instructions access the same memory location, but only one does so using a load/store instruction (which doesn’t cause any changes to occur). The problem is that the CPU doesn’t know this, and so it may change its behavior based on incorrect information.
Solution:
The solution to cache interference is to use a cache coherence protocol. This allows the CPU to determine that another instruction has accessed a certain memory location, and will then block itself from using this information until the other instruction is finished with it. This causes a performance hit, but it’s much less noticeable than the alternative.
Conclusion
When it comes to optimizing for parallelism and locality, the Matrix Multiplication Algorithm is one of the most commonly used strategies. This algorithm takes advantage of data parallelism by using multiple cores in order to achieve higher performance than a single-core implementation would have been able to achieve. This approach is especially useful when solving large problems such as image processing or scientific computing.