Work

Symbolic MRD: Dynamic Memory, Undefined Behaviour, and Extrinsic Choice

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: We present the first thin-air free memory model that admits compiler optimisations that aggressively leverage knowledge from alias analysis, an assumption of freedom from undefined behaviour, and from the extrinsic choices of real implementations such as over-alignment. Our model has tooling support with state-of-the-art performance, executing a battery of tests orders of magnitude quicker than other executable thin-air free semantics. The model integrates with the C/C++ memory model through an exportable semantic dependency relation, it allows standard compilation mappings for atomics, and it matches all tests in the recently published desiderata for C/C++ from the ISO.

Source: Proceedings of the ACM on Programming Languages

DOI: 10.1145/3721089

Authors: Jay Richards, Daniel Wright, Simon Cooksey, Mark Batty

Institutions: University of Kent, University of Surrey, Nvidia (United Kingdom)

Language: English

Topic: Logic, programming, and type systems

Subfield: Artificial Intelligence

Field: Computer Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: diamond

Funder: Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council

Awards: CapC: Capability C semantics, tools and reasoning, G2463437896, Transparent pointer safety: Rust to Lua to OS Components, Safe and secure COncurrent programming for adVancEd aRchiTectures (COVERT)