Experiences with retargeting the Java HotSpot virtual machine

Abstract

The Java HotSpot virtual machine is Sun Microsystems' newest and most advanced virtual machine for the Java platform, and it is now available on multiple hardware architectures and operating systems. Its primary goal was to push the state of the art in Java performance, through efficient memory management, high-performance thread synchronization, and focused use of sophisticated compiler technology. The SGI Java group has completed its initial retargeting of the HotSpot virtual machine, including the HotSpot client compiler, to the MIPS architecture and the Irix operating system. This paper describes that effort and the technical challenges that were involved, and it evaluates the performance of the retargeted HotSpot virtual machine. Across the board, both in Java bytecode execution and in runtime support, the Java HotSpot virtual machine on Irix/MIPS represents a significant step forward in performance over the previous generation of Java technology, the Classic virtual machine.