A Deep Dive into Static Single Assignment (SSA) Compiler Optimizations
This article chronicles the decades-long evolution of Static Single Assignment (SSA) compiler optimization techniques. From the early papers on code motion and global value numbering, through Cytron's seminal work on minimizing phi instructions, to Brandis and Mössenböck's single-pass generation approach, and Click and Paleczny's Sea of Nodes IR, the article traces several key papers and discusses their strengths and weaknesses. It also touches upon Appel's work on the relationship between functional programming and SSA, Aycock and Horspool's iterative phi node removal, and more recent approaches based on abstract interpretation. The article concludes with a list of further papers and resources, providing a more comprehensive perspective for readers interested in learning more about SSA.