Loop Fusion

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What Does Loop Fusion Mean?

Loop fusion is a type of programming technique that combines two or more loops into one, complying with principles of programming efficiency or compiler optimization.

Loop fusion is also known as loop jamming.

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Techopedia Explains Loop Fusion

The idea of putting multiple loops into one loop is discussed differently by different tech experts. Developers and others may refer to improving efficiency or “reducing loop overhead” or making computer programs faster to execute.

Loop fusion can improve the readability of code, and in some cases, it can make programs faster. However, experts point out that in some cases, loop fusion can actually make programs go slower. For example, if the two variables involved in the two loops are located in different places in computer memory, combining those two goods can make the program lose data localization and may not be ultimately efficient. Where the memory for the two loop processes meet certain criteria, loop fusion is a useful technique.

The opposite of loop fusion is loop fission, where one loop can be split in two. This technique can also be useful in some circumstances.

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Margaret Rouse
Technology Expert
Margaret Rouse
Technology Expert

Margaret is an award-winning technical writer and teacher known for her ability to explain complex technical subjects to a non-technical business audience. Over the past twenty years, her IT definitions have been published by Que in an encyclopedia of technology terms and cited in articles by the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine, and Discovery Magazine. She joined Techopedia in 2011. Margaret's idea of a fun day is helping IT and business professionals learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages.