Zero-Overhead Abstractions: Building Vector Math Libraries with Concepts and Customization Points

https://cppcon.org
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Zero-Overhead Abstractions: Building Flexible Vector Math Libraries with C++20 Concepts and Customization Points - Greg von Winckel - CppCon 2025
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This talk demonstrates how C++20's Concepts and Customization Point Objects (CPOs) provide a flexible, opt-in approach to vector algorithms—a compelling alternative to inheritance-based interfaces. Starting with foundational concepts and CPOs, we'll design mathematical abstractions that enable precise compile-time requirements with helpful diagnostics and clear error messages.

Through a practical vector framework implementation, we'll explore patterns essential for high-performance scientific computing applications, including interpolation and iterative methods for linear and nonlinear systems. Attendees will learn how CPOs with intelligent fallbacks parallel the familiar base-class/override structure of OOP, providing similar code reuse and customization opportunities without inheritance entanglements, while enabling seamless interoperability between diverse container types in the spirit of the STL.

As a C++ developer and architect at Sandia National Laboratories for the past decade, I've witnessed the burden of OOP overuse: complicated class hierarchies, parallelism compatibility issues, and testing challenges. The Real Vector Framework I've developed demonstrates how static polymorphism and free functions provide cleaner, more flexible alternatives to inheritance—bringing modern C++ practices to scientific computing while preserving the performance critical to our applications.

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Work at Hudson River Trading (HRT): https://tinyurl.com/safxfctf
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Greg von Winckel

Greg is a Senior Member of Technical Staff at Sandia National Laboratories and has been developing in C++ since the early 1990s. His interests include scientific computing, numerical optimization, and generic programming. He holds Ph.Ds in Electrical and Computer Engineering and Applied Mathematics from the University of New Mexico.
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