Transactional Memory without Hardware Support: A Comprehensive Software-Driven Approach

Transactional memory (TM) simplifies concurrent programming by enabling code blocks to execute in isolation, eliminating the complexities of locks and ensuring data con- sistency. While hardware-based TM (HTM) offers performance advantages, it faces limitations in scalability, flexibility, and hardware dependency. This paper presents a comprehensive anal- ysis of software transactional memory (STM), offering a robust alternative that operates without hardware support. We explore various STM techniques, their implementation challenges, and performance trade-offs compared to HTM. Additionally, we discuss novel optimizations that enhance the efficiency of STM, making it a viable solution for concurrent systems, especially in environments where hardware TM is not feasible. Our findings demonstrate that with the right optimizations, STM can achieve performance levels close to that of HTM, while providing greater flexibility and adaptability in diverse computing environments.