linux-kernel - Re: Candidate Linux ABI for Intel AMX and hypothetical new related features

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Message-ID: <1af4c589-f79b-6766-329e-74c735c17376@cs.ucla.edu>
Date:   Mon, 19 Apr 2021 16:52:08 -0700
From:   Paul Eggert <eggert@...ucla.edu>
To:     Len Brown <lenb@...nel.org>
Cc:     Florian Weimer <fweimer@...hat.com>, linux-abi@...r.kernel.org,
        "libc-alpha@...rceware.org" <libc-alpha@...rceware.org>,
        "Bae, Chang Seok" <chang.seok.bae@...el.com>,
        X86 ML <x86@...nel.org>, LKML <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>,
        Dave Hansen <dave.hansen@...el.com>,
        Kyle Huey <me@...ehuey.com>, Rich Felker <dalias@...c.org>,
        Andy Lutomirski <luto@...nel.org>,
        Keno Fischer <keno@...iacomputing.com>,
        Willy Tarreau <w@....eu>, Borislav Petkov <bp@...en8.de>
Subject: Re: Candidate Linux ABI for Intel AMX and hypothetical new related
 features

On 4/19/21 2:33 PM, Len Brown via Libc-alpha wrote:
> the AI guys are super excited about matrix multiplication,
> but I have a hard time imagining why grep(1) would find a use for it.

I don't. Matrix multiplication is used in modern string-searching 
algorithms that could be useful in running 'grep' on CPUs that have 
relevant hardware support. See, for example:

Susanina Y, Yaveyn A, Grigorev S. Modification of Valiant’s Parsing 
Algorithm for the String-Searching Problem. CIBB 2019. 
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-63061-4_17

Although nowadays this technology is typically proposed for 
bioinformatics (DNA pattern matching, etc.), it's not that much of a 
stretch to imagine a future 'grep' or 'diff' that does matrix 
multiplication. After all, GNU 'diff' currently uses an algorithm 
designed by a DNA expert.

(We now return you to the regular AMX debates. :-)