Implementation of a multiple virtual machine (MVM) environment on Ruby and JRuby

A group led by Professor Ikuo Takeuchi at the Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, the University of Tokyo will collaborate with Sun's Tim Bray (Director of Web Technologies) and the members of the JRuby team to implement a multiple virtual machine (MVM) environment on both Ruby and JRuby. The MVM environment is expected to make Ruby programs run more efficiently than was previously possible. The results of the research are scheduled to be open sourced via the broader community of Ruby developers, which could inspire further innovations.

Previously, running more than one application simultaneously on Ruby required multiple interpreters, leading to excessive memory consumption. The proposed MVM environment could generate multiple VM instances on a single interpreter, allowing applications to run more efficiently. The collaborative research aims to clarify such technical issues as the definition of common interfaces for using MVM, parallelization of VM instances and memory sharing, and then to implement technologies that can be used on Ruby and JRuby. While Ruby has already been widely in use in commercial and other environments, the research on MVM will further enhance the performance and utility of Ruby.

The collaborative research is scheduled to continue until the end of September 2009. For the first year, Sun will contribute funding to the research. In addition to the principal researchers from Sun's JRuby team and Professor Takeuchi's group, various other researchers and programmers will be invited to join in this research.

For many years, the University of Tokyo and Sun have been collaborating in IT research in such areas as microprocessors and high-speed networking. With the inception of the latest collaborative research, the two organizations are strengthening their relationships even further. They will explore the possibility of conducting joint R&D into next-generation technologies in the fields of digital campuses, e-learning, and computer sciences. Specifically, collaborative research projects on security, compilers, HPC tools, and mobile technologies will be contemplated to satisfy the market needs in the near future.