Modern compilers are not doing much searching in general. It's mostly apply some feed-forward heuristic to determine whether to apply a transformation or not.
I think a slower, search based compiler could have a lot of potential for the hottest parts you're willing to spend exorbitant time on a search.
I think a slower, search based compiler could have a lot of potential for the hottest parts you're willing to spend exorbitant time on a search.