DevConf.US 2021

Dr. Futamura's Projection Machine: From Interpreters to Compilers through a Marvelous Device

Partial evaluation is a fascinating technique to specialize programs that has a number of applications; it dates back at least to the 1970s, but it has even deeper roots in computational theory. Recently, the buzz around the term has increased, as the GraalVM project has become mainstream in the industry; in fact, one ingredient to the “secret sauce” of this polyglot platform is partial evaluation: Futamura projections make it possible to derive optimized compilers from a high-level interpreter definition. In this talk, we will learn more about the theory behind GraalVM’s compiler: the three Futamura projections. Come and see how deep the rabbit hole goes!