An Approach for Defining the Semantics of Directives

The current solution for efficient high-level parallel programming in the industry is to use directives to the compiler. However these directives pose two problems: first, as their the degree of stringency is not fixed, the compiler writer has no obligation with respect to them, and can only implement them “as he believes is the best”; second, as a result, it is not easy for the programmer to evaluate the exact effect of the directives he writes. This article proposes a methodology for addressing this issue. The data mapping directives of the High Performance Fortran language are used as a case study.