[Libre-soc-dev] idea: get grant from rust foundation to add powerpc/svp64 backend to cranelift

[Jacob Lifshay]

On Sun, Feb 19, 2023, 17:41 Luke Kenneth Casson Leighton <lkcl at lkcl.net>
wrote:

>
>
> On Sunday, February 19, 2023, Jacob Lifshay via Libre-soc-dev <
> libre-soc-dev at lists.libre-soc.org> wrote:
> > https://foundation.rust-lang.org/grants/project-grants/
> >
> > they're planning on accepting grant requests again later this year.
>

I posted to the cranelift zulip:
https://bytecodealliance.zulipchat.com/#narrow/stream/217117-cranelift/topic/PowerISA.20backend.20plans/near/329062710

>
> > this benefits libre-soc because it would likely be our first
> > production-grade compiler backend with at least some svp64 support,
>
> gcc and llvm are the top critical priorities as they cover
> the majority of software, especially ultra-low-level.
>
> if you can happen to do something that happens to result
> in work that can then be used by gcc or llvm (e.g a cranelift
> backend) that would be fantastic.
>

a cranelift backend can't directly be copied to gcc or llvm, since they are
written in c++ rather than rust, that said, the backend can likely be used
as a guide, making adding svp64 to gcc/llvm much easier. cranelift can't
currently be used as a gcc or llvm backend (unless you go through wasm, but
that adds a whole layer of isolation and a different abi)

Jacob