Ebook: Modern X86 Assembly Language Programming: Covers X86 64-bit, AVX, AVX2, and AVX-512, 3rd Edition

This book is an instructional text that will teach you how to code x86-64 assembly language functions. It also explains how you can exploit the SIMD capabilities of an x86-64 processor using x86-64 assembly language and the AVX, AVX2, and AVX-512 instruction sets.

This updated edition’s content and organization are designed to help you quickly understand x86-64 assembly language programming and the unique computational capabilities of x86 processors. The source code is structured to accelerate learning and comprehension of essential x86-64 assembly language programming constructs and data structures. Modern X86 Assembly Language Programming, Third Edition includes source code for both Windows and Linux. The source code elucidates current x86-64 assembly language programming practices, run-time calling conventions, and the latest generation of software development tools.

While it is still theoretically possible to write large sections or an entire application program using assembly language, the demanding requirements of contemporary software development mean that such an approach is both impractical and ill-advised. Instead, this book accentuates the coding x86-64 assembly language functions that are callable from C++. The downloadable software package for this book includes source code that works on both Windows (Visual C++ and MASM) and Linux (GNU C++ and NASM).

Before proceeding, it warrants mentioning that this edition of the Modern X86 Assembly Language Programming book doesn’t cover x86-32 assembly language programming. It also doesn’t discuss legacy x86 technologies such as the x87 floating-point unit, MMX, and X86-SSE (Streaming SIMD Extensions). The first edition of this text remains relevant if you’re interested in learning about these topics. This book doesn’t explain x86 architectural features or privileged instructions that are used in operating systems and device drivers. However, if your goal is to develop x86-64 assembly language code for these use cases, you’ll need to thoroughly comprehend the material that’s presented in this book.

What You Will Learn:
Understand important details of the x86-64 processor platform, including its core architecture, data types, registers, memory addressing modes, and the basic instruction set
Use the x86-64 instruction set to create assembly language functions that are callable from C++
Create assembly language code for both Windows and Linux using modern software development tools including MASM (Windows) and NASM (Linux)
Employ x86-64 assembly language to efficiently manipulate common data types and programming constructs including integers, text strings, arrays, matrices, and user-defined structures
Explore indispensable elements of x86 SIMD architectures, register sets, and data types.
Master x86 SIMD arithmetic and data operations using both integer and floating-point operands
Harness the AVX, AVX2, and AVX-512 instruction sets to accelerate the performance of computationally-intense calculations in machine learning, image processing, signal processing, computer graphics, statistics, and matrix arithmetic applications
Apply leading-edge coding strategies to optimally exploit the AVX, AVX2, and AVX-512 instruction sets for maximum possible performance

Who This Book Is For:
Software developers who are creating programs for x86 platforms and want to learn how to code performance-enhanced algorithms using the core x86-64 instruction set; developers who need to learn how to write SIMD functions or accelerate the performance of existing code using the AVX, AVX2, and AVX-512 instruction sets; and computer science/engineering students or hobbyists who want to learn or better understand x86-64 assembly language programming and the AVX, AVX2, and AVX-512 instruction sets.