User on Hacker’s News board, with the handle hwpythonner, announced the success of developing the PyXL chip, capable of running Python Bytecode directly through a specially designed instruction set.
The approach of PyXL differs from the usual attempts to make Python code run faster using various compilation methods. Instead, hwpythonner analyzes the specifications of Python Bytecode and aims to create an Assembly language closely aligned with bytecode, allowing Python commands to be executed on the chip instantly.
One limitation of PyXL is that it currently supports only certain parts of the existing Python code and requires pure Python language without using any other libraries. However, the advantage lies in running the code directly on the hardware without the need for additional runtime, enabling precise hardware control and significantly better performance. The GPIO control delay on the chip is as low as 480ns, compared to other microcontrollers using MicroPython that take up to 14.7ms or 30 times slower.
PyXL is written in Verilog language by hwpythonner, who plans to provide further details at PyCon 2025 but has not yet disclosed the architecture.
A major concern with this approach is that Python Bytecode is not a standard binary format like bytecode in other languages such as Java’s .class, and the specifications change with each version. PyXL is based on Python 3.11 bytecode, raising doubts about the update process in the long run and the practicality of this method.
TLDR: hwpythonner introduced PyXL chip for direct Python Bytecode execution, offering faster performance but facing challenges with code compatibility and bytecode version updates.
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