Architecturally-Independent and Time-Based Characterization of SPEC CPU 2017

Characterizing the memory behaviour of SPEC CPU benchmarks is critical to analyze bottlenecks in the execution. Unfortunately, most prior characterizations are tied to a particular system (e.g., via performance counters, fixed configurations) and missing important time-based behaviour (e.g., average over execution). While performance counters are accurate for that particular system, the results are less accurate for different micro-architectures and configurations. Most importantly, aggregate statistics (e.g., average over full execution) miss important time-based information which reveal transient phases that have significant impact on the execution. This work focuses on micro-architecturally independent, time-based characterization and analysis of the memory system behavior of SPEC CPU 2017. By collecting micro-architecturally independent and time-based information, we provide reusable data for various memory configurations.