METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR RUN TIME DETECTION OF SHARED MEMORY DATA ACCESS HAZARDS

A system and method for detecting shared memory hazards are disclosed. The method includes, for a unit of hardware operating on a block of threads, mapping a plurality of shared memory locations assigned to the unit to a tracking table. The tracking table comprises an initialization bit as well as access type information, collectively called the state tracking bits for each shared memory location. The method also includes, for an instruction of a program within a barrier region, identifying a second access to a location in shared memory within a block of threads executed by the hardware unit. The second access is identified based on a status of the state tracking bits. The method also includes determining a hazard based on a first type of access and a second type of access to the shared memory location. Information related to the first access is provided in the table.