Semi-Static Conditions: A New Approach to Optimizing Conditional Branching in C++

2023/09/01

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The article discusses the challenges of optimizing conditional branches in low-latency settings and introduces a new language construct called semi-static conditions. Traditional branch prediction techniques, such as the [[likely]] and [[unlikely]] attributes in C++20, can help improve performance, but they may not always be sufficient. Semi-static conditions allow programmers to dynamically modify the direction of a branch at runtime by modifying the assembly code within the underlying executable. The article explores scenarios where the use of semi-static conditions outperforms traditional conditional branching, particularly in real-time machine learning and high-frequency trading applications. The development process of semi-static conditions took into account considerations of performance, portability, syntax, and security. This new approach provides developers with an additional optimization tool to improve the efficiency of their code. It is a valuable technique for developers working in high-performance computing and low-latency environments.