Azul & JetBrains partner to boost Kotlin performance on JVM

Azul and JetBrains have announced a technical collaboration aimed at enhancing the runtime performance and scalability of web and server-side Kotlin applications.

The partnership seeks to improve the interaction between Kotlin-generated bytecode and the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) environment. By leveraging Azul's expertise in JVM performance and JetBrains' development of the Kotlin language, the companies aim to optimise how modern applications execute, particularly in terms of scalability and efficiency.

Kotlin, a high-level programming language designed to be fully compatible with the JVM, draws much of its application performance and scaling characteristics from the JVM itself. The collaboration centres on utilising Azul Platform Prime, which features the Zing JDK with Azul's Falcon LLVM-based Just-In-Time (JIT) compiler and the C4 garbage collector.

According to data from the TechEmpower Web Framework Benchmarks, applications built in Kotlin and running on Azul Platform Prime exhibited a 23.9% reduction in latency and a 30.5% increase in throughput compared to the same workloads on OpenJDK. These results highlight a measurable performance boost for web and server-side applications using the new environment.

Azul Platform Prime is available for x86 and ARM64 processors running Linux, and it is tested for compatibility with enterprise workloads through the industry standard Java Compatibility Kit (JCK or TCK). The platform builds on the OpenJDK code base, with specific improvements targeting JIT compilation, garbage collection, and startup behaviour.

The Falcon compiler, integrated within Azul Platform Prime, is based on the LLVM infrastructure and is designed to optimise application code at runtime for increased execution efficiency. The C4 garbage collector, also part of the platform, maintains application execution without disruption across a spectrum of memory requirements, from gigabytes to terabytes, and sustains high allocation rates. This approach is intended to improve throughput and response times while reducing requirements for IT infrastructure and cloud resources.

Vsevolod Tolstopyatov, Kotlin Project Lead at JetBrains, commented on the collaboration's significance: "From its inception, Kotlin was designed with the goal of building robust applications, including server-side solutions where performance is critical. Performance has always been a priority for us because it's essential to our users."

"Kotlin incorporates specific language features, such as inline functions and inline classes, which directly enhance performance. We've developed the Kotlin Coroutines library to facilitate concurrency and asynchronous programming, enabling efficient, scalable applications. Recognising that the JVM runtime is one of the most critical elements in application performance, we believe our collaboration with Azul will unlock new opportunities to further elevate the performance capabilities of Kotlin applications."

Gil Tene, Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer at Azul, highlighted the performance benefits: "The Azul JVM is the fastest and cheapest way to run Kotlin applications. Azul Platform Prime is built to solve the performance challenges enterprise applications face at scale. By providing a runtime that significantly improves the execution of JVM-based applications, which includes Kotlin-based applications, organisations can deploy applications more rapidly, with less tuning and ensure scalability as demands grow."

"Through our strategic collaboration with JetBrains, we help Kotlin teams to significantly boost their DevOps productivity and runtime application efficiency, which enables them to achieve their business priorities while improving the bottom line."

For Kotlin developers seeking to assess these performance improvements, Azul Platform Prime Stream Builds are available for download and are free for evaluation and development use.