Abstract: An optimizing compiler performs optimization that can employ complex transformations of the compiler input—such as transition table transpose of a transition table for a finite state machine and finding “hot spots” of the finite state machine—and provides compiled code for finite state machines that is more efficient (with regard either to time efficiency or space efficiency or both) than compiled code provided by general purpose optimizing compilers, which generally can not perform complex transformations like transition table transpose for finite state machines. Compiled code may be optimized for particular hardware for an embedded system. Performance of a finite state machine executing in hardware is optimized by finding states and transitions of the finite state machine that occur more or most frequently, referred to as “hot spots”, and generating optimized code tailored to execute the finite state machine more quickly, or using less instructions, for those states and transitions.