RubyConf 2021 - Optimizing Ruby's Memory Layout by Peter Zhu & Matt Valentine-House

Ruby’s current memory model assumes all objects live in fixed size slots. This means that object data is often stored outside of the Ruby heap, which has implications: an object's data can be scattered across many locations, increasing complexity and causing poor locality resulting in reduced efficiency of CPU caches.

Join us as we explore how our Variable Width Allocation project will move system heap memory into Ruby heap memory, reducing system heap allocations and giving us finer control of the memory layout to optimize for performance.