# Architecture & Platform Information for Compiler Writers


:::{note}
This document is a work-in-progress.  Additions and clarifications are
welcome.
:::

## Hardware

### AArch64 & ARM

* [ARMv8-A Architecture Reference Manual](https://developer.arm.com/docs/ddi0487/latest) This document covers both AArch64 and ARM instructions

* [ARMv7-A Architecture Reference Manual](https://developer.arm.com/docs/ddi0406/latest) This has some useful info on what is supported by older architecture versions.

* [ARMv7-M Architecture Reference Manual](https://developer.arm.com/docs/ddi0403/latest) This covers the Thumb2-only microcontrollers

* [ARMv6-M Architecture Reference Manual](https://developer.arm.com/docs/ddi0419/latest) This covers the Thumb1-only microcontrollers

* [ARM C Language Extensions](http://infocenter.arm.com/help/topic/com.arm.doc.ihi0053c/IHI0053C_acle_2_0.pdf)

* [ARM NEON Intrinsics Reference](http://infocenter.arm.com/help/topic/com.arm.doc.ihi0073b/IHI0073B_arm_neon_intrinsics_ref.pdf)

* AArch32 [ABI Addenda and Errata](http://infocenter.arm.com/help/topic/com.arm.doc.ihi0045d/IHI0045D_ABI_addenda.pdf)

* [Cortex-A57 Software Optimization Guide](http://infocenter.arm.com/help/topic/com.arm.doc.uan0015b/Cortex_A57_Software_Optimization_Guide_external.pdf)

* [Run-time ABI for the ARM Architecture](http://infocenter.arm.com/help/topic/com.arm.doc.ihi0043d/IHI0043D_rtabi.pdf) This documents the `__aeabi_*` helper functions.

### Itanium (ia64)

* [Itanium documentation](http://developer.intel.com/design/itanium2/documentation.htm)

### Lanai

* [Lanai Instruction Set Architecture](http://g.co/lanai/isa)


### MIPS

* [MIPS Processor Architecture](https://www.mips.com/products/)

* [MIPS 64-bit ELF Object File Specification](https://www.linux-mips.org/pub/linux/mips/doc/ABI/elf64-2.4.pdf)

### PowerPC

#### IBM - Official manuals and docs

* [Power Instruction Set Architecture, Version 3.0B](https://openpowerfoundation.org/?resource_lib=power-isa-version-3-0)

* [POWER9 Processor User's Manual](https://openpowerfoundation.org/?resource_lib=power9-processor-users-manual)

* [Power Instruction Set Architecture, Version 2.07B](https://openpowerfoundation.org/?resource_lib=ibm-power-isa-version-2-07-b)

* [POWER8 Processor User's Manual](https://openpowerfoundation.org/?resource_lib=power8-processor-users-manual)

* [Power Instruction Set Architecture, Versions 2.03 through 2.06 (Internet Archive)](https://web.archive.org/web/20121124005736/https://www.power.org/technology-introduction/standards-specifications)

* [IBM AIX 7.2 POWER Assembly Reference](https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/en/ssw_aix_72/assembler/alangref_kickoff.html)

* [IBM AIX/5L for POWER Assembly Reference](http://publibn.boulder.ibm.com/doc_link/en_US/a_doc_lib/aixassem/alangref/alangreftfrm.htm)

#### Embedded PowerPC Processors manuals and docs

* [Book E: Enhanced PowerPC Architecture](https://www.nxp.com/docs/en/user-guide/BOOK_EUM.pdf)

* [EREF: A Programmer's Reference Manual for Freescale Embedded Processors (EREFRM)](https://www.nxp.com/files-static/32bit/doc/ref_manual/EREF_RM.pdf)

* [Signal Processing Engine (SPE) Programming Environments Manual: A Supplement to the EREF](https://www.nxp.com/docs/en/reference-manual/SPEPEM.pdf)

* [Variable-Length Encoding (VLE) Programming Environments Manual: A Supplement to the EREF](https://www.nxp.com/docs/en/reference-manual/VLEPEM.pdf)

#### Other documents, collections, notes

* [PowerPC Compiler Writer's Guide](http://www.ibm.com/chips/techlib/techlib.nsf/techdocs/852569B20050FF7785256996007558C6)
* [Intro to PowerPC Architecture](http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/linux/library/l-powarch/)
* [Various IBM specifications and white papers](https://www.power.org/documentation/?document_company=105&document_category=all&publish_year=all&grid_order=DESC&grid_sort=title)
* [PowerPC ABI documents](http://penguinppc.org/dev/#library)
* [PowerPC64 alignment of long doubles (from GCC)](http://gcc.gnu.org/ml/gcc-patches/2003-09/msg00997.html)
* [Long branch stubs for powerpc64-linux (from binutils)](http://sources.redhat.com/ml/binutils/2002-04/msg00573.html)

### AMDGPU

Refer to {doc}`AMDGPUUsage` for additional documentation.

### RISC-V
* [RISC-V User-Level ISA Specification](https://riscv.org/specifications/)

### C-SKY
* [C-SKY Architecture User Guide](https://github.com/c-sky/csky-doc/blob/master/CSKY%20Architecture%20user_guide.pdf)
* [C-SKY V2 ABI](https://github.com/c-sky/csky-doc/blob/master/C-SKY_V2_CPU_Applications_Binary_Interface_Standards_Manual.pdf)

### LoongArch
* [LoongArch Reference Manual - Volume 1: Basic Architecture](https://loongson.github.io/LoongArch-Documentation/LoongArch-Vol1-EN.html)
* [LoongArch ELF ABI specification](https://loongson.github.io/LoongArch-Documentation/LoongArch-ELF-ABI-EN.html)

### SPARC

* [SPARC standards](http://sparc.org/standards)
* [SPARC V9 ABI](http://sparc.org/standards/64.psabi.1.35.ps.Z)
* [SPARC V8 ABI](http://sparc.org/standards/psABI3rd.pdf)

### SystemZ

* [z/Architecture Principles of Operation (registration required, free sign-up)](http://www-01.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=isg2b9de5f05a9d57819852571c500428f9a)

### VE

* [NEC SX-Aurora TSUBASA ISA Guide](https://www.hpc.nec/documents/guide/pdfs/Aurora_ISA_guide.pdf)
* [NEC SX-Aurora TSUBASA manuals and documentation](https://www.hpc.nec/documentation)

### X86

* [AMD processor manuals](http://developer.amd.com/resources/developer-guides-manuals/)
* [Intel 64 and IA-32 manuals](http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/processors/architectures-software-developer-manuals.html)
* [Intel Itanium documentation](http://www.intel.com/design/itanium/documentation.htm?iid=ipp_srvr_proc_itanium2+techdocs)
* [X86 and X86-64 SysV psABI](https://github.com/hjl-tools/x86-psABI/wiki/X86-psABI)
* [Calling conventions for different C++ compilers and operating systems](http://www.agner.org/optimize/calling_conventions.pdf)

### XCore

* [The XMOS XS1 Architecture (ISA)](https://www.xmos.ai/download/The-XMOS-XS1-Architecture%281.0%29.pdf)
* [The XMOS XS2 Architecture (ISA)](https://www.xmos.ai/download/xCORE-200:-The-XMOS-XS2-Architecture-%28ISA%29%281.1%29.pdf)
* [Tools Development Guide (includes ABI)](https://www.xmos.ai/download/Tools-Development-Guide%282.1%29.pdf)

### Hexagon

* [Hexagon Programmer's Reference Manuals and Hexagon ABI Specification (registration required, free sign-up)](https://developer.qualcomm.com/software/hexagon-dsp-sdk/tools)

### Other relevant lists

* [GCC reading list](http://gcc.gnu.org/readings.html)

## ABI

* [System V Application Binary Interface](http://www.sco.com/developers/gabi/latest/contents.html)
* [Itanium C++ ABI](http://itanium-cxx-abi.github.io/cxx-abi/) (This is used for all non-Windows targets.)

### Linux

* [Linux extensions to gabi](https://github.com/hjl-tools/linux-abi/wiki/Linux-Extensions-to-gABI)
* [64-Bit ELF V2 ABI Specification: Power Architecture](https://openpowerfoundation.org/?resource_lib=64-bit-elf-v2-abi-specification-power-architecture)

* [OpenPOWER ELFv2 Errata: ELFv2 ABI Version 1.4](https://openpowerfoundation.org/?resource_lib=openpower-elfv2-errata-elfv2-abi-version-1-4)
* [PowerPC 64-bit ELF ABI Supplement](http://www.linuxbase.org/spec/ELF/ppc64/)
* [Procedure Call Standard for the AArch64 Architecture](http://infocenter.arm.com/help/topic/com.arm.doc.ihi0055a/IHI0055A_aapcs64.pdf)
* [Procedure Call Standard for the ARM Architecture](https://developer.arm.com/docs/ihi0042/latest)
* [ELF for the ARM Architecture](http://infocenter.arm.com/help/topic/com.arm.doc.ihi0044e/IHI0044E_aaelf.pdf)
* [ELF for the ARM 64-bit Architecture (AArch64)](http://infocenter.arm.com/help/topic/com.arm.doc.ihi0056a/IHI0056A_aaelf64.pdf)
* [System z ELF ABI Supplement](http://legacy.redhat.com/pub/redhat/linux/7.1/es/os/s390x/doc/lzsabi0.pdf)

### macOS

* [Mach-O Runtime Architecture](http://developer.apple.com/documentation/Darwin/RuntimeArchitecture-date.html)
* [Notes on Mach-O ABI](http://www.unsanity.org/archives/000044.php)
* [ARM64 Function Calling Conventions](https://developer.apple.com/library/archive/documentation/Xcode/Conceptual/iPhoneOSABIReference/Articles/ARM64FunctionCallingConventions.html)

### Windows

* [Microsoft PE/COFF Specification](http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/system/platform/firmware/pecoff.mspx)
* [ARM64 exception handling](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/cpp/build/arm64-exception-handling)
* [ARM exception handling](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/cpp/build/arm-exception-handling)
* [Overview of ARM64 ABI conventions](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/cpp/build/arm64-windows-abi-conventions)
* [Overview of ARM32 ABI Conventions](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/cpp/build/overview-of-arm-abi-conventions)

## NVPTX

* [CUDA Documentation](http://docs.nvidia.com/cuda/index.html) includes the PTX
  ISA and Driver API documentation

## SPIR-V

* [SPIR-V documentation](https://www.khronos.org/registry/SPIR-V/)

## Miscellaneous Resources

* [Executable File Formats](https://wiki.osdev.org/Category:Executable_Formats)
  has a list of various executable file formats.

* [GCC prefetch project](http://gcc.gnu.org/projects/prefetch.html) page has a
  good survey of the prefetching capabilities of a variety of modern
  processors.