20200403-V-minutes.txt

Date: 2020/4/03
Task Group: Vector Extension
Chair: Krste Asanovic
Number of Attendees: ~15
Current issues on github: https://github.com/riscv/riscv-v-spec

Issues discussed: #354/362

The following issues were discussed.

Closing on version v0.9. A list of proposed changes to form v0.9 were
presented.  The main dispute was around dropping byte/halfword/word
vector load/stores.

#354/362 Drop byte/halfword/word vector load/stores

Most of the meeting time was spent discussing this issue, which was
contentious.

Participants in favor of retaining these instructions were concerned
about the code size and performance impact of dropping them.
Proponents in favor of dropping them noted that the main impact was
only for integer code (floating-point code does not benefit from these
instructions), that performance might be lower using these
instructions rather than widening, and that there was a large benefit
in reducing memory pipeline complexity.  The group was going to
consider some examples to be supplied by the members, including some
mixed floating-point/integer code.

Discussion to continue on mailing list.