GCC supports some function attributes for function multi-versioning: a way for a function to have multiple implementations, each using a different set of ISA extensions. A function attribute specifies different requirements of ISA extensions. The generated program decodes the CPU model and features at run-time, and picks the most restrictive implementation that is satisfied by the CPU, assuming that the most restrictive implementation has the best performance.

__attribute__((target(...)))

__attribute__((target(...))) has been available for a long time, even before attributes for function multi-versioning were introduced. Here are some links to relevant documentation.

• https://gcc.gnu.org/onlinedocs/gcc/Common-Function-Attributes.html#:~:text=target%20(
• Attributes in Clang#target
• https://gcc.gnu.org/onlinedocs/gcc/AArch64-Function-Attributes.html
• https://gcc.gnu.org/onlinedocs/gcc/x86-Function-Attributes.html

Usually we use different function names for different implementations and define a dispatch function. This approach is like a manual ifunc.

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extern int flags;

static __attribute__((target("default"))) int foo_default(int a) { return a & a-1; }
static __attribute__((target("arch=x86-64-v2"))) int foo_v2(int a) { return a & a-1; }
static __attribute__((target("arch=x86-64-v3"))) int foo_v3(int a) { return a & a-1; }

int foo(int a) {
  if (flags & 2) return foo_v3(a);
  if (flags & 1) return foo_v2(a);
  return foo_default(a);
}

The function bodies are duplicated. We can define a [[gnu::always_inline]] function shared by the different implementations.

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__attribute__((always_inline)) static inline foo_impl(int a) { return a & a-1; }
static __attribute__((target("default"))) int foo_default(int a) { return foo(a); }
static __attribute__((target("arch=x86-64-v2"))) int foo_v2(int a) { return foo(a); }
static __attribute__((target("arch=x86-64-v3"))) int foo_v3(int a) { return foo(a); }

Let's check the behavior of an external linkage. In C++ mode, GCC and Clang emit two symbols _Z3foov and _Z3foov.sse4.2 for the following program:

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__attribute__((target("default"))) int foo(void) { return 0; }
__attribute__((target("sse4.2"))) int foo(void) { return 1; }

In C mode, GCC reports error: redefinition of ‘foo’. Clang emits two symbols foo and foo.see4.2.

With more than one declaration, the compiler merges the attributes.

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int foo(void);
__attribute__((target("avx2"))) int foo(void) { return 0; }



__attribute__((target("avx2"))) int foo(void);
int foo(void) { return 0; }

__attribute__((target_clones(...)))

This is the first attribute that GCC introduced to convenient function multi-versioning. Since GCC 6, we can just define one function with the attribute specifying all supported targets.

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__attribute__((target_clones("default","arch=x86-64-v2","arch=x86-64-v3"))) 
int foo(int a) { return a & a-1; }

int foo_plus_1(int a) { return foo(a) + 1; }

See the GCC doc (Common Function Attributes) and Attributes in Clang#target_clones. Clang only supports some basic forms, not arch=.

For the above function, GCC emits three implementations: foo.default, foo.arch_x86_64_v2, and foo.arch_x86_64_v3. foo is a dispatch function that selects one of the implementations. This is implemented as a GNU indirect function (ifunc). The ifunc resolver is called once by rtld at the relocation resolving phase. The resolver references a function and a variable defined in the runtime (libgcc).

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        .section        .text.foo.resolver,"axG",@progbits,foo.resolver,comdat
        .p2align 4
        .weak   foo.resolver
        .type   foo.resolver, @function
foo.resolver:
        subq    $8, %rsp
        call    [email protected]
        movq    [email protected](%rip), %rax
        movl    8(%rax), %eax
        testb   $2, %al
        je      .L8
        leaq    foo.arch_x86_64_v3(%rip), %rax
.L7:
        addq    $8, %rsp
        ret
.L8:
        testb   $1, %al
        leaq    foo.arch_x86_64_v2(%rip), %rdx
        leaq    foo.default(%rip), %rax
        cmovne  %rdx, %rax
        jmp     .L7
        .size   foo.resolver, .-foo.resolver
        .globl  foo
        .type   foo, @gnu_indirect_function
        .set    foo,foo.resolver

The attribute can apply to a non-definition declaration. foo.default, foo.arch_x86_64_v2, and foo.arch_x86_64_v3 are undefined symbols while (GCC: foo, Clang: foo.ifunc) and foo.resolver remain as definitions.

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__attribute__((target_clones("default","arch=x86-64-v2","arch=x86-64-v3"))) 
int foo(int a);
int main(void) { foo(0); }

In llvm-project, compiler-rt provides an alternative implementation.

Drawbacks

Compilers largely don't know the semantics of ifunc and are very conservative. Ifunc defeats most interprocedural optimizations. We can see that the target_clones function foo is not inlined into foo_plus_1. Fortunately, functions called by a target_clones function are still inlinable.

An ifunc call needs a PLT entry, regardless of whether it is preemptive or not. On the contrary, a non-preemptive function does not need a PLT entry.

x86

The runtime executes cpuid, extracts information about the x86 family model and available CPU features, and stores them into __cpu_model and __cpu_features2. The resolver decodes the information and selects the best implementation.

AArch64

The support is missing/incomplete as of GCC 12 and Clang 16.0. When implemented, + separated features can be specified.

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__attribute__((target_clones("sha2+memtag2", "fcma+sve2-pmull128")))
void foo() {}

(compiler-rt/lib/builtins/cpu_model.c defines some symbols like __aarch64_have_lse_atomics. GCC commit)

__attribute__((cpu_dispatch(...))) and __attribute__((cpu_specific(...)))

• Attributes in Clang#cpu_dispatch

Supported by Intel C++ Compiler and later ported to Clang. GCC doesn't support the two attributes. They feel like legacy and are a subset of target_clones.

The declaration and definition can be in different translation units like target_clones, but different attributes are used.

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echo '__attribute__((cpu_dispatch(ivybridge, atom, sandybridge))) void foo(void); int main(void) { foo(); }' > a.c
echo '__attribute__((cpu_specific(ivybridge, atom, sandybridge))) void foo(void) {}' > b.c
clang a.c b.c -o a

__attribute__((target_version(...)))

Arm C Language Extensions introduced a new GNU attribute target_version.

• https://github.com/ARM-software/acle/blob/main/main/acle.md#function-multi-versioning
• Attributes in Clang#target_version

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int __attribute__((target_version("default"))) tv(void) { return 0; }
int __attribute__((target_version("fp16+simd"))) tv(void) { return 1; }

The semantics are not very clear in the latest Clang. GCC does not support the attribute as of 2023-02.