Why Big Tech Is Rewriting Kernels in Rust: Memory Safety Meets Performance

Microsoft has rewritten parts of the Windows kernel with about 36,000 lines of Rust, including the DWriteCore and Win32 GDI projects, and the Rust‑based kernel is already appearing in Windows 11 Insider builds.

Rust’s strong memory safety eliminates many unsafe routines found in traditional C/C++ code, making the language both safer and more concise.

Originally created by Graydon Hoare after repeated elevator failures in 2006, Rust was designed to avoid memory errors, with a name inspired by a resilient fungus.

Since its 1.0 release in May 2015, Rust has consistently topped Stack Overflow’s most loved programming languages, praised for speed, low memory usage, and protection against segmentation faults.

Major tech firms have embraced Rust: Microsoft uses it to reduce kernel vulnerabilities, Linux added Rust support in version 6.1, Google began integrating Rust into Android 12 and later, and Amazon highlights Rust’s energy‑efficiency, showing up to 50% better power use than C.

Studies indicate that Rust can prevent hundreds of memory‑related bugs in components like Bluetooth and NFC, and its high‑parallelism helps balance security with latency.

Despite its advantages, Rust has a steep learning curve and slower onboarding compared to languages like Go or Java, which has led some to label it a niche language.

To sustain development, large companies formed a non‑profit Rust foundation, committing significant funding to maintain the ecosystem.

Overall, Rust’s safety‑first design is reshaping system programming, though its future growth depends on easing adoption barriers.