What is loop unrolling and how does it compare to other optimizations?

What is loop unrolling and how does it work?

Loop unrolling is an optimization technique that reduces the overhead of loop control by increasing the number of operations performed in each iteration.

What are the benefits of loop unrolling compared to other optimizations?

The main benefits include reduced loop overhead, improved instruction-level parallelism, and better cache performance.

Are there any downsides to using loop unrolling?

Yes, downsides include increased code size and potential register pressure, which can lead to diminishing returns.

How does loop unrolling compare to techniques like inlining or vectorization?

Loop unrolling focuses on reducing loop overhead, while inlining eliminates function call overhead, and vectorization leverages SIMD instructions for parallel processing.