• 60,000 Times Slower Python

  • Feb 23 2025
  • Length: 10 mins
  • Podcast

60,000 Times Slower Python

  • Summary

  • The End of Moore's Law and the Future of Computing PerformanceThe Automobile Industry Parallel
    • 1960s: Focus on power over efficiency (muscle cars, gas guzzlers)
    • Evolution through Japanese efficiency, turbocharging, to electric vehicles
    • Similar pattern now happening in computing
    The Python Performance Crisis
    • Matrix multiplication example: 7 hours vs 0.5 seconds
    • 60,000x performance difference through optimization
    • Demonstrates massive inefficiencies in modern languages
    • Industry was misled by Moore's Law into deprioritizing performance
    Performance Improvement Hierarchy
    1. Language Choice Improvements:

      • Java: 11x faster than Python
      • C: 50x faster than Python
      • Why stop at C-level performance?
    2. Additional Optimization Layers:

      • Parallel loops: 366x speedup
      • Parallel divide and conquer
      • Vectorization
      • Chip-specific features
    The New Reality in 2025
    • Moore's Law's automatic performance gains are gone
    • LLMs make code generation easier but not necessarily better
    • Need experts who understand performance optimization
    • Pushing for "faster than C" as the new standard
    Future Directions
    • Modern compiled languages gaining attention (Rust, Go, Zig)
    • Example: 16KB Zig web server in Docker
    • Rethinking architectures:
      • Microservices with tiny containers
      • WebAssembly over JavaScript
      • Performance-first design
    Key Paradigm Shifts
    • Developer time no longer prioritized over runtime
    • Production code should never be slower than C
    • Single-stack ownership enables optimization
    • Need for coordinated improvement across:
      • Language design
      • Algorithms
      • Hardware architecture
    Looking Forward
    • Shift from interpreted to modern compiled languages
    • Performance engineering becoming critical skill
    • Domain-specific hardware acceleration
    • Integrated approach to performance optimization

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