Performance optimization of BLAS algorithms with band matrices for RISC-V processors

Abstract: The rapid development of RISC-V instruction set architecture presents new opportunities and challenges for software developers. Is it sufficient to simply recompile high-performance software optimized for x86-64 onto RISC-V CPUs? Are current compilers capable of effectively optimizing C and C++ codes or is it necessary to use intrinsics or assembler? Can we analyze and improve performance without well-developed profiling tools? Do standard optimization techniques work? Are there specific RISC-V features that need to be considered? These and other questions require careful consideration. In this paper, we present our experience optimizing four BLAS algorithms for band matrix operations on RISC-V processors. We demonstrate how RISC-V-optimized implementations of OpenBLAS algorithms can be significantly accelerated through improved vectorization of computationally intensive loops. Experiments on Lichee Pi 4A and Banana Pi BPI-F3 devices using RVV 0.7.1 and RVV 1.0 vector instruction sets respectively, show speedups of 1.5x to 10x depending on the operation compared to the OpenBLAS baseline. In particular, the successful use of vector register grouping with RVV can lead to significant performance improvements.