faster-cpython

PyPy deserves much more credit (and much wider use) than it gets. The underperformance of the Faster CPython project [0] shows how difficult it is to optimize a Python implementation, and highlights just how impressive PyPy really is. [0] The article says "Python has gotten nearly 50% faster in less than four years", but the original goal was a 5x speedup in the same timeframe [https://github.com/markshannon/faster-cpython/blob/master/pl...].

Original details here: https://github.com/markshannon/faster-cpython/blob/master/pl... About the author: https://us.pycon.org/2023/speaker/profile/81/index.html > His academic and commercial work is focused on compilers, virtual machines and static analysis for Python. His PhD was on building virtual machines for dynamic languages. This dude looks God-level. Half-joking: Maybe MSFT can also poach Lars Bak of Google V8-fame.

It is unclear to me whether Python 3.12 will receive significant improvements. Based on the information from https://github.com/faster-cpython/benchmarking-public, it appears that there may be a 2% performance enhancement. Is this the anticipated result, or are there additional developments awaiting merger? Initially, the "Shannon Plan" (https://github.com/markshannon/faster-cpython/blob/master/pl...) aimed for a 50% improvement with each release. Has this goal been deemed unattainable, or are there adjustments being made to the plan?

It looks like faster-cpython wants to include a "simple" (non tracing) JIT into 3.12[^1] anyway so maybe this is just what they need? Timing might be an issue though; since 3.11 was released 10/2022, CPython devs may already be hard at work on their own JIT impl. [^1]: https://github.com/markshannon/faster-cpython/blob/master/pl...

Planned for 3.12 > Simple "JIT" compiler for small regions. Compile small regions of specialized code, using a relatively simple, fast compiler. https://github.com/markshannon/faster-cpython/blob/master/pl...

I think that's not really the plan - they're talking about just basic template compilation, nothing like V8 https://github.com/markshannon/faster-cpython/blob/master/pl....

The goal with faster cpython is for small compounding improvements with each point release[0]. So in the end it should be much more than a tiny improvement. [0] https://github.com/markshannon/faster-cpython/blob/master/pl...

But a JIT is already planned for a future release it’s just there’s a ton of other improvements they can do to speed it up first. See: https://github.com/markshannon/faster-cpython/blob/master/pl... where the plan is detailed. This is by a core python dev who is currently employed by Microsoft to enact this plan.

Between this link and the OP, we're seeing the first improvements to drop from Mark Shannon's Microsoft-funded full-time work on CPython optimization, alongside Eric Snow and Guido van Rossum: https://www.theregister.com/2021/05/19/faster_python_mark_sh... https://github.com/markshannon/faster-cpython/blob/master/pl... - indicates that this is step 2 of 4, where the forthcoming steps actually plan to introduce JIT compilation! From the OP Changelog: - bpo-44590: All necessary data for executing a Python function (local variables, stack, etc) is now kept in a per-thread stack. Frame objects are lazily allocated on demand. This increases performance by about 7% on the standard benchmark suite. Introspection and debugging are unaffected as frame objects are always available when needed. Patch by Mark Shannon. And from the What's New: - “Zero

This [0] is the announcement from the PSF. The team also includes core developers Eric Snow and Mark Shannon (of the faster-cpython [1] proposal). [0] https://pyfound.blogspot.com/2021/05/the-2021-python-languag... [1] https://github.com/markshannon/faster-cpython

In Python, “Inline caching has been a huge success” [0]. I believe quickening has been proposed as part of a plan for further speed improvements [1]. [0] https://mobile.twitter.com/raymondh/status/13574784866470051... [1] https://github.com/markshannon/faster-cpython/blob/master/pl...

https://github.com/markshannon/faster-cpython/blob/master/pl... And some discussion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24848318

Yeah the initial page looked very thin, but this linked one has a tiny bit more info: https://github.com/markshannon/faster-cpython/blob/master/ti... Still I'm a bit skeptical ... his reasons for why others failed and he will succeed is not that convincing.