Vx: A Language That Makes Device Pointer Errors Compile-Time Failures
Vx – One Language, Every Chip
Vx is a systems programming language for heterogeneous computing that bakes CPU, GPU, and NPU memory into the type system. Dereferencing a device pointer from the host becomes a compile error, not a segfault. It uses machine files to declare exact memory hierarchies and checks placements before a binary exists. Vx targets correctness and speed across diverse silicon, but is not for exploratory, dynamic workloads.
Heterogeneity belongs in the type system, not in the runtime.
- pdpi
> Vx is the right language for the thing that must be correct and fast across ten kinds of silicon. It is not the right language for the thing you are still figuring out.
A bit tangential, but I really *really* appreciate them making this distinction, and wish more people did this. Way too many tools try to advertise themselves as all things for all people, catering to all use cases, and that helps nobody.
- jack_h
I'm reminded of a number of critiques that have popped up over the years such as "C Is Not a Low-level Language: Your computer is not a fast PDP-11" and others I can't remember at the moment. In essence our "low level" languages are designed to run on an abstract machine that hasn't changed much since the 70s while the actual hardware it's meant to abstract over has become incredibly sophisticated. As a simple example consider how many programming languages have something simple like SIMD support without dropping into compiler intrinsics or relying on the optimizer.
I've actually created some experimental DSL embeddings around this idea before as I find it a fascinating area. Skimming through the Vx docs it seems like it is moving some of the abstract machine into the type system for greater flexibility.
- dreamoffire
“I’d like the best programming language! Look at what people like about Rust, Mojo and Zig and come up with specs for it!
Oh don’t forget we need to think of the future… Make sure we can run on GPUs.
Try not to sound too LLMy.
Don’t mess up.”
I wish you luck I guess
- yewenjie
Why is it giving me Vlang vibe
- png732
Is there a backstory for this being named Vx? Seems a bit too close for comfort to the VxWorks OS, though there seems to be no connection.