[diskann-vector] Support truly unaligned distances.

diskann-providers/src/model/pq/distance/multi.rs

@@ -580,7 +580,7 @@ mod tests {
                 config.start_value,
             );
 
-            let expected = reference.evaluate_similarity(&expected0, &expected1);
+            let expected = reference.evaluate_similarity(&*expected0, &*expected1);
 
             // Test full-precision/quant.
             let got = computer
@@ -699,9 +699,9 @@ mod tests {
             );
 
             // Generate reference results.
-            let oo = reference.evaluate_similarity(&old_expected, &old_expected);
-            let nn = reference.evaluate_similarity(&new_expected, &new_expected);
-            let on = reference.evaluate_similarity(&old_expected, &new_expected);
+            let oo = reference.evaluate_similarity(&*old_expected, &*old_expected);
+            let nn = reference.evaluate_similarity(&*new_expected, &*new_expected);
+            let on = reference.evaluate_similarity(&*old_expected, &*new_expected);
 
             // Quant + Quant
             {

diskann-vector/Cargo.toml

@@ -22,7 +22,8 @@ iai-callgrind.workspace = true
 rand.workspace = true
 criterion.workspace = true
 rand_distr.workspace = true
-half = { workspace = true, features = ["rand_distr", "num-traits"] }
+half = { workspace = true, features = ["rand_distr", "num-traits", "bytemuck"] }
+bytemuck = { workspace = true, features = ["must_cast"] }
 
 [[bench]]
 name = "bench_main"

diskann-vector/src/distance/distance_provider.rs

@@ -9,13 +9,12 @@ use diskann_wide::arch::aarch64::Neon;
 use diskann_wide::arch::x86_64::{V3, V4};
 use diskann_wide::{
     arch::{Dispatched2, FTarget2, Scalar},
-    lifetime::Ref,
     Architecture,
 };
 use half::f16;
 
 use super::{implementations::Specialize, Cosine, CosineNormalized, InnerProduct, SquaredL2};
-use crate::distance::Metric;
+use crate::{distance::Metric, AsUnaligned, UnalignedSlice};
 
 /// Return a function pointer-like [`Distance`] to compute the requested metric.
 ///
@@ -46,6 +45,16 @@ pub trait DistanceProvider<T>: Sized + 'static {
     fn distance_comparer(metric: Metric, dimension: Option<usize>) -> Distance<Self, T>;
 }
 
+#[derive(Debug)]
+struct Unaligned<T>(std::marker::PhantomData<T>);
+
+impl<T> diskann_wide::lifetime::AddLifetime for Unaligned<T>
+where
+    T: 'static,
+{
+    type Of<'a> = UnalignedSlice<'a, T>;
+}
+
 /// A function pointer-like type for computing distances between `&[T]` and `&[U]`.
 ///
 /// See: [`DistanceProvider`].
@@ -55,26 +64,37 @@ where
     T: 'static,
     U: 'static,
 {
-    f: Dispatched2<f32, Ref<[T]>, Ref<[U]>>,
+    f: Dispatched2<f32, Unaligned<T>, Unaligned<U>>,
 }
 
 impl<T, U> Distance<T, U>
 where
     T: 'static,
     U: 'static,
 {
-    fn new(f: Dispatched2<f32, Ref<[T]>, Ref<[U]>>) -> Self {
+    fn new(f: Dispatched2<f32, Unaligned<T>, Unaligned<U>>) -> Self {
         Self { f }
     }
 
-    /// Compute a distances between `x` and `y`.
+    /// Compute the distance between `x` and `y`.
     ///
     /// The actual distance computed depends on the metric supplied to [`DistanceProvider`].
     ///
     /// Additionally, if a dimension were given to [`DistanceProvider`], this function may
     /// panic if provided with slices with a length not equal to this dimension.
     #[inline]
     pub fn call(&self, x: &[T], y: &[U]) -> f32 {
+        self.f.call(x.as_unaligned(), y.as_unaligned())
+    }
+
+    /// Compute the distance between `x` and `y`.
+    ///
+    /// The actual distance computed depends on the metric supplied to [`DistanceProvider`].
+    ///
+    /// Additionally, if a dimension were given to [`DistanceProvider`], this function may
+    /// panic if provided with slices with a length not equal to this dimension.
+    #[inline]
+    pub fn call_unaligned(&self, x: UnalignedSlice<'_, T>, y: UnalignedSlice<'_, U>) -> f32 {
         self.f.call(x, y)
     }
 }
@@ -89,6 +109,17 @@ where
     }
 }
 
+impl<T, U> crate::DistanceFunction<UnalignedSlice<'_, T>, UnalignedSlice<'_, U>, f32>
+    for Distance<T, U>
+where
+    T: 'static,
+    U: 'static,
+{
+    fn evaluate_similarity(&self, x: UnalignedSlice<'_, T>, y: UnalignedSlice<'_, U>) -> f32 {
+        self.f.call(x, y)
+    }
+}
+
 ////////////////////
 // Implementation //
 ////////////////////
@@ -305,7 +336,7 @@ struct Spec<const N: usize>;
 impl<A, F, const N: usize, T, U> TrySpecialize<A, F, T, U> for Spec<N>
 where
     A: Architecture,
-    Specialize<N, F>: for<'a, 'b> FTarget2<A, f32, &'a [T], &'b [U]>,
+    Specialize<N, F>: for<'a, 'b> FTarget2<A, f32, UnalignedSlice<'a, T>, UnalignedSlice<'b, U>>,
     T: 'static,
     U: 'static,
 {
@@ -314,7 +345,7 @@ where
             if d == N {
                 return Some(Distance::new(
                     // NOTE: This line here is what actually compiles the specialized kernel.
-                    arch.dispatch2::<Specialize<N, F>, f32, Ref<[T]>, Ref<[U]>>(),
+                    arch.dispatch2::<Specialize<N, F>, f32, Unaligned<T>, Unaligned<U>>(),
                 ));
             }
         }
@@ -352,7 +383,7 @@ impl<Head, Tail> Cons<Head, Tail> {
     fn specialize<A, F, T, U>(&self, arch: A, _f: F, dim: Option<usize>) -> Distance<T, U>
     where
         A: Architecture,
-        F: for<'a, 'b> FTarget2<A, f32, &'a [T], &'b [U]>,
+        F: for<'a, 'b> FTarget2<A, f32, UnalignedSlice<'a, T>, UnalignedSlice<'b, U>>,
         Head: TrySpecialize<A, F, T, U>,
         Tail: TrySpecialize<A, F, T, U>,
         T: 'static,
@@ -361,7 +392,7 @@ impl<Head, Tail> Cons<Head, Tail> {
         if let Some(f) = self.try_specialize(arch, dim) {
             f
         } else {
-            Distance::new(arch.dispatch2::<F, f32, Ref<[T]>, Ref<[U]>>())
+            Distance::new(arch.dispatch2::<F, f32, Unaligned<T>, Unaligned<U>>())
         }
     }
 }
@@ -465,7 +496,7 @@ mod test_unaligned_distance_provider {
         // Unwrap the SimilarityScore for the reference implementation.
         let converted = |a: &[T], b: &[T]| -> f32 { reference(a, b).into_inner() };
 
-        let checker = test_util::Checker::<T, T, f32>::new(
+        let mut checker = test_util::Checker::<T, T, f32>::new(
             |a, b| under_test.call(a, b),
             converted,
             |got: f32, expected: f32| {
@@ -479,7 +510,7 @@ mod test_unaligned_distance_provider {
         );
 
         test_util::test_distance_function(
-            checker,
+            &mut checker,
             distribution.clone(),
             distribution.clone(),
             dim,

diskann-vector/src/distance/implementations.rs

@@ -7,58 +7,36 @@ use diskann_wide::{arch::Target2, Architecture, ARCH};
 
 /// Experimental traits for distance functions.
 use super::simd;
-use crate::{Half, MathematicalValue, PureDistanceFunction, SimilarityScore};
-
-trait ToSlice {
-    type Target;
-    fn to_slice(&self) -> &[Self::Target];
-}
-
-impl<T> ToSlice for &[T] {
-    type Target = T;
-    fn to_slice(&self) -> &[T] {
-        self
-    }
-}
-impl<T, const N: usize> ToSlice for &[T; N] {
-    type Target = T;
-    fn to_slice(&self) -> &[T] {
-        &self[..]
-    }
-}
-impl<T, const N: usize> ToSlice for [T; N] {
-    type Target = T;
-    fn to_slice(&self) -> &[T] {
-        &self[..]
-    }
-}
+use crate::{
+    AsUnaligned, Half, MathematicalValue, PureDistanceFunction, SimilarityScore, UnalignedSlice,
+};
 
 macro_rules! architecture_hook {
     ($functor:ty, $impl:path) => {
         impl<A, T, L, R> diskann_wide::arch::Target2<A, T, L, R> for $functor
         where
             A: Architecture,
-            L: ToSlice,
-            R: ToSlice,
-            $impl: simd::SIMDSchema<L::Target, R::Target, A>,
-            Self: PostOp<<$impl as simd::SIMDSchema<L::Target, R::Target, A>>::Return, T>,
+            L: AsUnaligned,
+            R: AsUnaligned,
+            $impl: simd::SIMDSchema<L::Element, R::Element, A>,
+            Self: PostOp<<$impl as simd::SIMDSchema<L::Element, R::Element, A>>::Return, T>,
         {
             #[inline(always)]
             fn run(self, arch: A, left: L, right: R) -> T {
                 Self::post_op(simd::simd_op(
                     &$impl,
                     arch,
-                    left.to_slice(),
-                    right.to_slice(),
+                    left.as_unaligned(),
+                    right.as_unaligned(),
                 ))
             }
         }
 
         impl<A, T, L, R> diskann_wide::arch::FTarget2<A, T, L, R> for $functor
         where
             A: Architecture,
-            L: ToSlice,
-            R: ToSlice,
+            L: AsUnaligned,
+            R: AsUnaligned,
             Self: diskann_wide::arch::Target2<A, T, L, R>,
         {
             #[inline(always)]
@@ -73,35 +51,31 @@ macro_rules! architecture_hook {
 #[derive(Debug, Clone, Copy)]
 pub(crate) struct Specialize<const N: usize, F>(std::marker::PhantomData<F>);
 
-impl<A, T, L, R, const N: usize, F> diskann_wide::arch::FTarget2<A, T, &[L], &[R]>
+impl<A, T, L, R, const N: usize, F>
+    diskann_wide::arch::FTarget2<A, T, UnalignedSlice<'_, L>, UnalignedSlice<'_, R>>
     for Specialize<N, F>
 where
     A: Architecture,
-    F: for<'a, 'b> diskann_wide::arch::Target2<A, T, &'a [L; N], &'b [R; N]> + Default,
+    F: for<'a, 'b> diskann_wide::arch::Target2<A, T, UnalignedSlice<'a, L>, UnalignedSlice<'b, R>>
+        + Default,
 {
     #[inline(always)]
-    fn run(arch: A, x: &[L], y: &[R]) -> T {
+    fn run(arch: A, x: UnalignedSlice<'_, L>, y: UnalignedSlice<'_, R>) -> T {
         if (x.len() != N) | (y.len() != N) {
             fail_length_check(x, y, N);
         }
 
-        // SAFETY: We have checked that both arguments have the correct length.
-        //
-        // The alignment requirements of arrays are the alignment requirements of
-        // `Left` and `Right` respectively, which is provided by the corresponding slices.
-        arch.run2(
-            F::default(),
-            unsafe { &*(x.as_ptr() as *const [L; N]) },
-            unsafe { &*(y.as_ptr() as *const [R; N]) },
-        )
+        // The validation of `x.len()` and `y.len()` is sufficient (and indeed necessary)
+        // to trigger constant propagation and unrolling.
+        arch.run2(F::default(), x, y)
     }
 }
 
 // Outline the panic formatting and keep the calling convention the same as
 // the top function. This keeps code generation extremely lightweight.
 #[inline(never)]
 #[allow(clippy::panic)]
-fn fail_length_check<L, R>(x: &[L], y: &[R], len: usize) -> ! {
+fn fail_length_check<L, R>(x: UnalignedSlice<'_, L>, y: UnalignedSlice<'_, R>, len: usize) -> ! {
     let message = if x.len() != len {
         ("first", x.len())
     } else {
@@ -136,6 +110,7 @@ macro_rules! use_simd_implementation {
                 <$functor>::default().run(ARCH, x, y)
             }
         }
+
         // Statically Sized
         impl<const N: usize> PureDistanceFunction<&[$T; N], &[$U; N], SimilarityScore<f32>>
             for $functor
@@ -566,8 +541,11 @@ mod tests {
         let (x, y) = random_normal_arguments(DIM, -100.0, 100.0, 0x023457AA);
 
         let reference: f32 = SquaredL2::evaluate(x.as_slice(), y.as_slice());
-        let evaluated: f32 =
-            Specialize::<DIM, SquaredL2>::run(diskann_wide::ARCH, x.as_slice(), y.as_slice());
+        let evaluated: f32 = Specialize::<DIM, SquaredL2>::run(
+            diskann_wide::ARCH,
+            x.as_slice().as_unaligned(),
+            y.as_slice().as_unaligned(),
+        );
 
         // Equality should be exact.
         assert_eq!(reference, evaluated);
@@ -582,8 +560,11 @@ mod tests {
         let x = vec![0.0f32; DIM + 1];
         let y = vec![0.0f32; DIM];
         // Since `x` does not have the correct dimensions, this should panic.
-        let _: f32 =
-            Specialize::<DIM, SquaredL2>::run(diskann_wide::ARCH, x.as_slice(), y.as_slice());
+        let _: f32 = Specialize::<DIM, SquaredL2>::run(
+            diskann_wide::ARCH,
+            x.as_slice().as_unaligned(),
+            y.as_slice().as_unaligned(),
+        );
     }
 
     #[test]
@@ -595,8 +576,11 @@ mod tests {
         let x = vec![0.0f32; DIM];
         let y = vec![0.0f32; DIM + 1];
         // Since `y` does not have the correct dimensions, this should panic.
-        let _: f32 =
-            Specialize::<DIM, SquaredL2>::run(diskann_wide::ARCH, x.as_slice(), y.as_slice());
+        let _: f32 = Specialize::<DIM, SquaredL2>::run(
+            diskann_wide::ARCH,
+            x.as_slice().as_unaligned(),
+            y.as_slice().as_unaligned(),
+        );
     }
 
     ////////////////////
@@ -650,7 +634,7 @@ mod tests {
         To: GetInner + Copy,
         Callback: FnMut(To, To),
     {
-        let checker =
+        let mut checker =
             test_util::Checker::<L, R, To>::new(under_test, reference, |got, expected| {
                 // Invoke the callback with the received numbers.
                 cb(got, expected);
@@ -663,7 +647,7 @@ mod tests {
             });
 
         test_util::test_distance_function(
-            checker,
+            &mut checker,
             distribution.clone(),
             distribution.clone(),
             dim,