Beyond induction variables

Induction variable detection is usually closely tied to the strength reduction optimization. This paper studies induction variable analysis from a different perspective, that of finding induction variables for data dependence analysis. While classical induction variable analysis techniques have been used successfully up to now, we have found a simple algorithm based on the Static Single Assignment form of a program that finds all linear induction variables in a loop. Moreover, this algorithm is easily extended to find induction variables in multiple nested loops, to find nonlinear induction variables, and to classify other integer scalar assignments in loops, such as monotonic, periodic and wrap-around variables. Some of these other variables are now classified using ad hoc pattern recognition, while others are not analyzed by current compilers. Giving a unified approach improves the speed of compilers and allows a more general classification scheme. We also show how to use these variables in data dependence testing.