ISPC Builtins Guide

Understanding the hierarchical target system is critical for correctly implementing and maintaining builtins.

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Architecture Overview

ISPC's standard library consist of two layers:

1. Standard Library (stdlib/stdlib.ispc) — User-visible functions written in ISPC language
2. Builtins (builtins/) — Target-specific implementations in LLVM IR that support the stdlib

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Hierarchical Target System

Key Concept: Targets are organized hierarchically. A child target inherits all functions from its parent that it doesn't explicitly override.

Target Parent Map (src/builtins.cpp)

The hierarchy is defined in targetParentMap:

std::unordered_map<ISPCTarget, ISPCTarget> targetParentMap = {
    // ARM NEON -> generic
    {ISPCTarget::neon_i8x16, ISPCTarget::generic_i8x16},

    // AVX512 hierarchy: dmr -> gnr -> spr -> icl -> skx -> generic
    {ISPCTarget::avx10_2dmr_x16, ISPCTarget::avx512gnr_x16},
    {ISPCTarget::avx512gnr_x16, ISPCTarget::avx512spr_x16},
    {ISPCTarget::avx512spr_x16, ISPCTarget::avx512icl_x16},
    {ISPCTarget::avx512icl_x16, ISPCTarget::avx512skx_x16},
    {ISPCTarget::avx512skx_x16, ISPCTarget::generic_i1x16},

    // AVX/SSE hierarchy: avx2vnni -> avx2 -> avx1 -> sse4 -> sse2 -> generic
    {ISPCTarget::avx2vnni_i32x8, ISPCTarget::avx2_i32x8},
    {ISPCTarget::avx2_i32x8, ISPCTarget::avx1_i32x8},
    // ...
};

How Linking Works

When compiling user code:

1. Link the target-specific builtins (e.g., avx512skx-x16)
2. Check for unresolved symbols
3. If unresolved, link parent target's builtins (e.g., generic-i1x16)
4. Repeat until all symbols are resolved or error

Implication: You only need to implement functions that differ from the parent.

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File Structure (builtins/)

File Pattern	Description
target-<isa>-<variant>.ll	Target-specific LLVM IR (e.g., target-avx512skx-x16.ll)
target-<isa>-common.ll	Shared code for ISA family (e.g., target-sse4-common.ll)
target-<isa>-utils.ll	Utility macros/functions for ISA (e.g., target-avx512-utils.ll)
generic.ispc	Target-independent implementations in ISPC
util.m4	M4 macros for generating LLVM IR

Function signatures are declared in stdlib/include/builtins.isph.

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Creating/Modifying Builtins

Step 1: Define the Function Signature

Add declaration to stdlib/include/builtins.isph:

EXT inline READNONE varying float __my_builtin_float(varying float);

Step 2: Implement Generic Fallback and Optimized Versions

New builtins must always have a generic implementation in generic.ispc. This ensures all targets work correctly via hierarchy fallback.

Then add optimized LLVM IR versions at the appropriate level — they will be inherited by all children:

• avx512skx — inherited by icl, spr, gnr, dmr
• avx512icl — inherited by spr, gnr, dmr (overrides skx)

Example optimized implementation in target-avx512skx-x16.ll:

define <16 x float> @__my_builtin_float(<16 x float> %input) nounwind readnone alwaysinline {
    %result = call <16 x float> @llvm.x86.avx512.something(<16 x float> %input)
    ret <16 x float> %result
}

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Best Practices

1. Leverage hierarchy — Only implement what differs from parent; don't copy-paste
2. Use generic as fallback — Implement in generic.ispc first, optimize later
3. Use include() — Share code via target-*-utils.ll files
4. Mark functions correctly — Use nounwind readnone alwaysinline attributes

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Testing Builtins

See CLAUDE.md for build, lit test, and IR/assembly inspection commands.

Verify Correct Builtin Was Linked

Dump IR before optimizations to see builtins as they were linked:

build/bin/ispc test.ispc --target=avx512skx-x16 --debug-phase=pre:first --dump-file=dbg -o /dev/null
# Check dbg/ir_*.ll files for the builtin implementation