Compatibility of VGC/PPE with CPython runtime and C-extension ecosystem

Determine the compatibility of the Virtual Garbage Collector (VGC) and the Partition and Parallel Execution (PPE) runtime architecture with CPython’s object model, the CPython C-extension ecosystem, and interpreter internals by identifying required integration points, constraints, and potential modifications for correct and efficient operation within the existing Python runtime.

Background

The paper proposes VGC and PPE as an architecture to improve parallel execution and deterministic memory management beyond Python’s GIL-based model. For real-world adoption, integration with CPython’s runtime is essential, particularly due to CPython’s object model and extensive C-extension ecosystem that rely on specific memory, threading, and reference semantics.

The authors explicitly flag integration with existing language runtimes as an open direction and emphasize evaluating compatibility with Python’s object model and interpreter internals, underscoring that this remains unresolved and requires further research and engineering.