Methods to Optimize Code Size

Developer Guide and Reference

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ID 767251

Date 10/31/2024

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Methods to Optimize Code Size

This section provides some guidance on how to achieve smaller object and smaller executable size when using the optimizing features of Intel compilers.

There are two compiler options that are designed to prioritize code size over performance:

Option	Result	Notes
Os	Favors size over speed	This option enables optimizations that do not increase code size; it produces smaller code size than option O2. Option Os disables some optimizations that may increase code size for a small speed benefit.
O1	Minimizes code size	Compared to option Os, option O1 disables even more optimizations that are generally known to increase code size. Specifying option O1 implies option Os. As an intermediate step in reducing code size, you can replace option O3 with option O2 before specifying option O1. Option O1 may improve performance for applications with very large code size, many branches, and execution time not dominated by code within loops.

Option

Result

Notes

Favors size over speed

This option enables optimizations that do not increase code size; it produces smaller code size than option O2.

Option Os disables some optimizations that may increase code size for a small speed benefit.

Minimizes code size

Compared to option Os, option O1 disables even more optimizations that are generally known to increase code size. Specifying option O1 implies option Os.

As an intermediate step in reducing code size, you can replace option O3 with option O2 before specifying option O1.

Option O1 may improve performance for applications with very large code size, many branches, and execution time not dominated by code within loops.

For more information about compiler options mentioned in this topic, see their full descriptions in the Compiler Reference.

The rest of this topic briefly discusses other methods that may help you further improve code size even when compared to the default behaviors of options Os and O1.

Things to remember:

Some of these methods may already be applied by default when options Os and O1 are specified. All the methods mentioned in this topic can be applied at higher optimization levels.
Some of the options referred to in this topic will not necessarily cause code size reduction, and they may provide varying results (good, bad, or neutral) based on the characteristics of the target code. Still, these are the recommended things to try to see if they cause your binaries to become smaller while maintaining acceptable performance.

Disable or Decrease the Amount of Inlining

Inlining replaces a call to a function with the body of the function. This lets the compiler optimize the code for the inlined function in the context of its caller, usually yielding more specialized and better performing code. This also removes the overhead of calling the function at runtime.

However, replacing a call to a function by the code for that function usually increases code size. The code size increase can be substantial. To eliminate this code size increase, at the cost of the potential performance improvement, inlining can be disabled.

Advantage: Disabling or reducing this optimization can reduce code size.
Disadvantage: Performance is likely to be sacrificed by disabling or reducing inlining especially for applications with many small functions.

Use options:

Linux

fno-inline

Windows

Ob0

Strip Symbols from Your Binaries

You can specify a compiler option to omit debugging and symbol information from the executable without sacrificing its operability.

Advantage: This method noticeably reduces the size of the binary.
Disadvantage: It may be very difficult to debug a stripped application.

Linux

Use options Wl, --strip-all

Windows

None

Dynamically Link Intel-provided Libraries

By default, some of the Intel support and performance libraries are linked statically into an executable. As a result, the library codes are linked into every executable being built. This means that codes are duplicated.

It may be more profitable to link them dynamically.

Advantage: Performance of the resulting executable is normally not significantly affected. Library codes that are otherwise linked in statically into every executable will not contribute to the code size of each executable with this option. These codes will be shared between all executables using them, and they will be available independent of those executables.
Disadvantage: The libraries on which the resulting executable depends must be re-distributed with the executable for it to work properly. When libraries are linked statically, only library content that is actually used is linked into the executable. Dynamic libraries contain all the library content. Therefore, it may not be beneficial to use this option if you only need to build and/or distribute a single executable. The executable itself may be much smaller when linked dynamically, compared to a statically linked executable. However, the total size of the executable plus shared libraries or DLLs may be much larger than the size of the statically linked executable.

Linux

Use option shared-intel

Windows

Use option MD or libs:dll

NOTE:

Option MD affects all libraries, not only the Intel-provided ones.

Disable Inline Expansion of Standard Library or Intrinsic Functions

In some cases, disabling the inline expansion of standard library or intrinsic functions may noticeably improve the size of the produced object or binary.

Linux

Use option nolib-inline

Windows

None

Disable Loop Unrolling

Unrolling a loop increases the size of the loop proportionally to the unroll factor.

Disabling (or limiting) this optimization may help reduce code size at the expense of performance.

Advantage: Code size is reduced.
Disadvantage: Performance of otherwise unrolled loops may noticeably degrade because this limits other possible loop optimizations.

Linux

Use option unroll=0

Windows

Use option Qunroll:0

Additional information:

This option is already the default if you specify option Os or option O1.

Disable Automatic Vectorization

The compiler finds possibilities to use SIMD (Intel® Streaming SIMD Extensions (Intel® SSE)/Intel® Advanced Vector Extensions (Intel® AVX)) instructions to improve performance of applications. This optimization is called automatic vectorization.

In most cases, this optimization involves transformation of loops and increases code size, in some cases significantly.

Disabling this optimization may help reduce code size at the expense of performance.

Advantage: Compile-time is also improved significantly.
Disadvantage: Performance of otherwise vectorized loops may suffer significantly. If you care about the performance of your application, you should use this option selectively to suppress vectorization on everything except performance-critical parts.

Linux

Use option no-vec

Windows

Use option Qvec-

Additional information:

Depending on code characteristics, this option can sometimes increase binary size.

Use Interprocedural Optimization

Using interprocedural optimization (IPO) may reduce code size. It enables dead code elimination and suppresses generation of code for functions that are always inlined or proven that they are never to be called during execution.

Advantage: Depending on the code characteristics, this optimization can reduce executable size and improve performance.
Disadvantage: Binary size can increase depending on code/application.

Linux

Use option ipo

Windows

Use option Qipo

NOTE:

This method is not recommended if you plan to ship object files as part of a final product.

Parent topic: Optimization and Programming

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Developer Guide and Reference

Methods to Optimize Code Size

Disable or Decrease the Amount of Inlining

Strip Symbols from Your Binaries

Dynamically Link Intel-provided Libraries

Disable Inline Expansion of Standard Library or Intrinsic Functions

Disable Loop Unrolling

Disable Automatic Vectorization

Use Interprocedural Optimization