Microsoft recently announced plans to discontinue feature updates for Windows 10, allowing the tech giant to focus on improving the performance and security of Windows 11 and future iterations like Windows 12. During the BlueHat IL 2023 conference, David Weston, Microsoft’s corporate vice president of enterprise security and operating systems, talked about plans to rewrite the Windows 11 kernel using the Rust programming language, known for its security and memory efficiency.

Rewriting the Windows 11 kernel using Rust

The move from C++ to Rust aims to make the kernel shorter, safer and more efficient. Microsoft added 36,000 lines of Rust code to the kernel, which resulted in the removal of many previously existing dangerous routines. The Rust language provides improved memory security and better performance, as evidenced by minimal performance loss after migrating Office applications to Rust.

Most benchmarks showed only minor differences between the Rust and C++ cores, with Rust outperforming the C++ core in some cases. The success of this migration was further highlighted when the Win32k Graphics Device Interface (GDI) was ported to Rust and successfully passed all Windows boot tests.

Microsoft expects the Rust kernel to be implemented on Windows 11 systems in the next few weeks or months, providing users with enhanced security and performance. This significant change reflects Microsoft’s commitment to developing a safer and more reliable operating system for its customers.