C/C++ language extensions (intrinsics)

A set of C-language extensions are available for PowerPC Processor Element (PPE) and Vector/SIMD Multimedia Extension programming.

These extensions include additional vector data types and a large set of scalar and vector commands (intrinsics). The intrinsics are essentially inline assembly-language instructions, in the form of function calls, that have syntax familiar to high-level programmers using the C language.

The intrinsics provide explicit control of the PPE or Vector/SIMD Multimedia Extension instructions without directly managing registers and scheduling instructions, as assembly-language programming requires. A compiler that supports these C-language extensions will emit code optimized for the PPE and/or the Vector/SIMD Multimedia Extension architecture.

1. Scalar intrinsics
   A minimal set of specific intrinsincs, to make the underlying PPU instruction set accessible from the C programming language, have been provided. These intrinsics are declared in the system header file ppu_intrinsics.h.
2. Vector data types
   The Vector/SIMD Multimedia Extension model adds a set of fundamental data types, called vector types.
3. Vector intrinsics
   Vector/SIMD Multimedia Extension intrinsics are grouped into three classes.