Hacker News story: ASIC: Proof-of-Concept Binary Optimizer Reduces Size, More to Come

ASIC: Proof-of-Concept Binary Optimizer Reduces Size, More to Come
I’ve built a PoC binary optimizer called ASIC that replaces common instruction sequences with specialized instructions. Even with only 2 patterns implemented out of 19 identified, it reduced a test binary by 0.02%. Imagine the potential once all patterns are covered. Highlights: Works directly on binaries, no source changes needed. Compatible with existing optimizations like O2/O3, Oz, and strip. Cross-architecture potential, not limited to ARM64 or ELF. Can complement packing tools (like UPX) without slowing execution. This is early-stage, but the concept proves instruction-level pattern replacement is feasible. Next step: implement all hot patterns for meaningful optimization. Would love thoughts from anyone who’s worked with binary transformations or runtime instruction emulation. 0 comments on Hacker News.
I’ve built a PoC binary optimizer called ASIC that replaces common instruction sequences with specialized instructions. Even with only 2 patterns implemented out of 19 identified, it reduced a test binary by 0.02%. Imagine the potential once all patterns are covered. Highlights: Works directly on binaries, no source changes needed. Compatible with existing optimizations like O2/O3, Oz, and strip. Cross-architecture potential, not limited to ARM64 or ELF. Can complement packing tools (like UPX) without slowing execution. This is early-stage, but the concept proves instruction-level pattern replacement is feasible. Next step: implement all hot patterns for meaningful optimization. Would love thoughts from anyone who’s worked with binary transformations or runtime instruction emulation.