Method and Apparatus for Substituting Compiler Built-in Helper Functions with Machine Instructions

An apparatus, comprising:

• an object code loader to load object code compiled according to a source instruction set architecture (source ISA) for execution on a target instruction set architecture (target ISA)-based platform, including the loader to map a compiler built-in helper function (“helper function”) in the object code to a target ISA machine instruction;
• a helper function replacement module to replace the helper function with the target ISA machine instruction to which the helper function was mapped;
• and
• an execution engine to execute the loaded object code, including the target ISA machine instruction that replaced the helper function.

A computer program product comprising:

• a computer-readable medium;
• and
• instructions in the computer-readable medium, wherein the instructions, when executed in a dynamic runtime system, cause the system to perform operations comprising:
• loading an executable program comprising a sequence of machine instructions compiled according to a source instruction set architecture (source ISA) for execution by a target instruction set architecture (target ISA)-based hardware execution unit, the loading including mapping a compiler built-in helper function (“helper function”) in the executable program to a target ISA machine instruction;
• and
• executing the loaded program, the executing comprising replacing the helper function with the target ISA machine instruction to which the helper function was mapped and executing the target ISA machine instruction.