Rust efficiencies at AWS scale (Ship It! #89)

This podcast episode features a discussion between Gerhard Lazu and Tim McNamara, known as New Zealand's Rust guy. They explore the impact of Rust on Amazon's services, including S3, Lambda, and CloudFront, and discuss the challenges of adopting Rust within Amazon. The episode highlights the benefits of Rust's low memory usage and reduced CPU load, emphasizing its role in improving software performance and user experience. They also touch on the importance of low latency, especially in internet connections, and how Rust can contribute to cost savings and better responsiveness. The speaker advocates for Rust's adoption as a way to reduce energy usage and waste, aligning with their vision of creating positive social change through software engineering. Rust's superior performance compared to Java and Go is highlighted, along with its significance in storage node re-implementation and the need for memory optimization. The speaker shares their dedication to developing efficient software systems and reducing operational costs. Additionally, the chapter discusses the presence of Rust within AWS and its integration into various services, emphasizing the value of Rust in improving sustainability, security, and developer productivity. Takeaways • Rust has a significant impact on Amazon's services like S3, Lambda, and CloudFront, improving performance, reliability, and security. • Adopting Rust within Amazon faces challenges due to organizational inertia and the decentralized nature of decision-making. • Rust's low memory usage and reduced CPU load contribute to better software performance and user experience. • Low latency is crucial for internet connections, and Rust helps in reducing latency, leading to cost savings and improved responsiveness. • Rust outperforms Java and Go in terms of performance, making it a suitable choice for various applications. • Rust's memory optimization capabilities result in cost savings and resource utilization improvements for companies like AWS. • Rust is integrated into various services within AWS, including Amazon Prime, Firecracker, and API endpoints, enhancing sustainability, performance, and security. • Developing efficient software systems that reduce resource consumption and prioritize user experience can lead to significant cost savings. • The speaker emphasizes the importance of genuine public discourse and understanding different perspectives to promote positive change.