CA25173 - Autotuning for Performance-Portable and Energy-Efficient Applications and Computing (AutoPEAC)

Modern computing systems are becoming increasingly heterogeneous, integrating CPUs, GPUs, and specialized accelerators. While this diversity enables higher performance and energy efficiency, it also complicates software optimization and portability. Applications that are efficient on one platform often underperform on another, requiring repeated manual tuning that is both time-consuming and expertise-intensive.

Autotuning, broadly understood as the automatic exploration and optimization of software and hardware parameters—including code variants, compiler options, and power management settings—offers a path toward adaptable and energy-efficient computing. Yet, despite decades of research, its adoption remains limited. Existing frameworks are often fragmented, incompatible, and integrated with a narrow set of applications. Developers lack comprehensive training, shared datasets, and unified methodologies to employ autotuning efficiently and safely.

The AutoPEAC COST Action (Autotuning for Performance-Portable and Energy-Efficient Applications and Computing) will establish a European network of researchers, developers, and computing centers to coordinate efforts in this area. The Action will:

– harmonize autotuning approaches and data formats to improve interoperability and reuse;
– strengthen education and awareness through tutorials, summer schools, and open materials;
– foster research linking autotuning with programmability, such as integrating high-level programming tools with tuning frameworks; and
– stimulate collaboration that leads to the use of autotuning in real-world applications.

By connecting experts across domains, AutoPEAC will lay the foundation for performance-portable and energy-efficient software ecosystems in Europe, advancing both scientific understanding and practical adoption of adaptive optimization techniques.