Compile-Time Target CPU Feature Detection in C
Summary
The article explains how C compilers detect target CPU features at compile time, enabling feature-specific intrinsics and conditional compilation. It contrasts compile-time checks with runtime detection, and shows examples for x86 SSE4.2 and ARM CRC32, including how to inspect compiler macros. It also notes cross-compiler differences (GCC/Clang, MSVC) and the importance of testing build configurations.