Clang (not LLVM) was made by Apple [1, 2]. They specifically hired the lead developer of LLVM to build it because they were not happy with GCC. At this point many other companies have also contributed, but Clang is first and foremost developed as Apple's compiler. It is a safe bet that they will optimize it for new Apple hardware.
> Clang (not LLVM) was made by Apple [1, 2]. They specifically hired the lead developer of LLVM to build it
No, one cannot claim "Apple makes Clang" (which was your original claim) just because they funded the initial effort many years ago. It is not their product and they do not control it. It is like saying Blender is made by the original company who developed the initial version.
The LLVM Foundation (a legal entity) is the actual owner.
> because they were not happy with GCC
Many companies are not happy with GCC due to the license. Which is why so many companies work on LLVM.
> Clang is first and foremost developed as Apple's compiler.
False. The Clang version that Apple includes with macOS is not even close to the latest Clang.
> It is a safe bet that they will optimize it for new Apple hardware.
False. Optimizing is mainly the job of LLVM, not Clang.
Further, most optimization passes are independent of architecture. Codegen targets Intel, AMD, ARM, etc. hardware in general, not Apple’s in particular.
