News & Press

Green Hills Software Announces Version 5.0 of its Compiler Suite

New Optimizations Further Lead in Generating the Best Code

SANTA BARBARA, CA —January 31, 2007—Green Hills Software, Inc., the technology leader in device software optimization (DSO) and real-time operating systems (RTOS), today announced the release of its next-generation compiler technology, part of Green Hills’ integrated development environment MULTI version 5.0.

“For twenty-five years, Green Hills Software has worked diligently to advance its compiler technology, incorporating novel techniques that enable software developers to minimize memory footprint and power usage as well as maximize execution speed of their code,” commented David Kleidermacher, chief technology officer of Green Hills Software. “This in turn translates into reduced production cost and higher performance of our customers’ end products. At the same time, companies rely on Green Hills’ compilers for the success of their products. Green Hills compilers build the code that runs many automotive drive trains, aircraft engines, medical devices, and other critical systems.”

The MULTI 5.0 compiler yields a significant code density and speed improvement over the previous generation of Green Hills’ compilers, including a 14% performance improvement in the EEMBC Telecom benchmark. EEMBC is an independent consortium of microprocessor manufacturers that runs and independently certifies compiler benchmark scores on all the leading embedded processors used today. Green Hills has long been the predominant compiler selected by microprocessor vendors to demonstrate the highest possible performance for their products.

Optimizations
Some of the most important optimization advancements are inter-procedural: whereas traditional compilers process one source code file at a time, the Green Hills compilers are able to examine the entire application program in order to locate optimization opportunities. The new compiler also provides greatly enhanced support for profile-driven optimization: the run-time profile of the user application can be fed back into the compiler which will then optimize based on the specific run-time characteristics of the application. This enables the Green Hills compiler to tune itself according to the real-world execution environment that is most important to the fielded end product.

The new compiler also provides a number of new C++ optimizations, including enhancements in the efficiency of exception handling and dramatic code density improvements in programs that make heavy use of virtual methods, something commonly found in complex applications such as software defined radios. Finally, the MULTI 5.0 compiler has a wide range of new optimizations targeting specific microprocessor families, including Power® Architecture, ARM, MIPS, V850, ColdFire, Intel® IA-32, and Blackfin.

Compile Speed
Using MULTI’s integrated distributed build system, the Green Hills compilers can build programs in parallel across the underutilized workstations on a corporate network. Distributed compilation is easy to configure and use, with all the details of source code distribution and parallel compile management performed on behalf of the user. The result is a typical 30 to 80% decrease in compilation time for a full project build.

Standards and Reliability
The Green Hills compiler was the first compiler for embedded systems to achieve 100% conformance to ANSI/ISO standards for C and C++. In addition, the new compiler supports the latest C99 specification and the latest MISRA C standard. The Green Hills compilers are tested against industry standard validation suites, including Plum Hall, and are also tested against the industry’s most proven and extensive regression test suite.

Availability
Green Hills compilers for C, C++, and Ada are available today.

About Green Hills Software
Founded in 1982, Green Hills Software, Inc. is the technology leader in device software optimization (DSO) and real-time operating systems (RTOS) for 32- and 64-bit embedded systems. Our royalty-free INTEGRITY® and velOSity™ real-time operating systems, µ-velOSity™ microkernel, compilers, MULTI® and AdaMULTI™ integrated development environments and TimeMachine™ tool suite offer a complete development solution that addresses both deeply embedded and high-reliability applications. Green Hills Software is headquartered in Santa Barbara, CA, with European headquarters in the United Kingdom. Visit Green Hills Software on the web at www.ghs.com.

Green Hills, the Green Hills logo, MULTI, INTEGRITY, velOSity, µ-velOSity, AdaMULTI and TimeMachine, are trademarks or registered trademarks of Green Hills Software, Inc. in the U.S. and/or internationally. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

North American Sales Contact:
Green Hills Software, Inc.
30 West Sola Street,
Santa Barbara, CA 93101,
Tel: 805-965-6044
Fax: 805-965-6343
Website: www.ghs.com
Email: sales@ghs.com

Media Contacts:
Green Hills Software, Inc.
Barbel French
Tel: 805-965-6044
Email: bfrench@ghs.com

International Sales Contact:
Green Hills Software Ltd.
Fleming Business Centre
Leigh Road
Eastleigh
Hampshire SO50 9PD
UNITED KINGDOM
Tel: +44 (0)2380 649660
Fax: +44 (0)2380 649661
Email: mktg-europe@ghs.com