Android ART: 18% Faster Compiles, No Quality Loss

Optimizing ART: A Deep Dive

This article highlights a significant achievement by the Android Runtime (ART) team, demonstrating a tangible performance boost in compile times without compromising code quality. The 18% reduction is substantial and directly benefits both JIT and AOT compilation, impacting device performance, battery life, and thermal management. The focus on meticulous measurement using tools like pprof and the iterative approach to optimization, involving skipping ineffective iterations, using heuristics, and employing caching, showcases a disciplined engineering process. The article also provides valuable insights into the techniques employed, such as reducing lookup complexity and passing data structures by reference. However, the article lacks depth in terms of the specific technical implementations. While it mentions the use of heuristics and caching, it doesn't delve into the precise algorithms or data structures involved. This limits the ability of developers to immediately replicate or adapt these techniques to other compiler optimization scenarios. Furthermore, the article's brevity prevents a comprehensive understanding of the trade-offs made during the optimization process. For example, while it mentions the team was willing to invest development time, it doesn't discuss the cost in terms of increased code complexity or potential regression risks. A more detailed examination of these aspects would enhance the article's value to the technical audience.

Key Points

• ART compile times reduced by 18% without impacting code quality.
• Improvements benefit both JIT and AOT compilation, improving device performance and battery life.
• Optimization focused on reducing unnecessary work in compiler phases, using heuristics, and caching.
• Techniques include reducing lookup complexity and passing data structures by reference.
• Improvements are available in the latest Android release and can be received via mainline updates for Android 12 and above.

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📖 Source: Google Boosts ART Compile Times by 18% Without Compromising Code Quality