Document: N5036
Author: Michael Wong, SG5
Date: 2026-02-22
Audience: All of WG21
White paper from SG5 on transactional memory extensions for C++, version 2. If you care about TM in the language, this is the committee-facing framing document — not a wording paper, but the problem space and what an extension might aim for. Open the PDF on open-std.org or try wg21.link/n5036 if the short link resolves.
Expect the usual split: people who want TM in the core language versus people who think libraries and compiler intrinsics already cover the interesting cases. SG5 has carried this topic for a long time; a “version 2” usually means the narrative tightened after reflector feedback.
TM papers always get the “just use atomics” replies in the first ten comments. Reserving judgment until someone quotes the actual motivation section.
godbolt.org supports the major compilers. Paste a snippet, pick flags, stare at the assembly.