Intel debuts new compilers

Intel has released two new Mac OS X-compatible compilers -- one for creating C++ software and the other for producing Fortran programs -- designed to create more reliable, high-performance applications that speed up a computer's responsiveness. The Intel C++ Compiler and Fortran Professional Editions are highly optimized with performance libraries and the Intel Threading Building Blocks. Both compilers are already available from $600 to $1600, with upgrades to the professional editions from the prior versions or libraries available through resellers.

Both compilers feature new automatic support for accelerating program performance on Intel's latest multi-core processsors, and automatically accelerate software containing 3D graphics or video through the use of vectors via Streaming SIMD Extensions (SSE) -- including the latest SSE 4 instructions.

Application performance is also accelerated by multi-core processors through the use of multiple threads. Combining the use of vectors and threads while integrating them with a technology known as loop transformation generates greater performance on multi-core processors without requiring developers to rewrite their code.

by MacNN Staff