FastCode is an open source programming project that aims to provide optimized runtime library routines for Embarcadero Delphi and C++ Builder. This community-driven project was started in 2003 by Dennis Kjaer Christensen and has since contributed optimized functionality to the 32-bit Delphi runtime library (RTL).
Organized as a competition divided into challenges, FastCode focuses on optimizing specific functions against multiple targets. The project offers benchmarking tools and validation processes for each function contribution. Contributions are scored, with points awarded based on performance against the targets. Embarcadero recognizes and incorporates the code created by the FastCode team into their Delphi codebase. Most participants in this project are assembler developers who utilize processor-specific code. The list of challenges tackled by the FastCode project is extensive; it covers diverse areas ranging from string manipulation functions like PosEx or CompareText to mathematical operations such as Power or Int64Mul.