This is not a completely hashed-out thought. But I'll share it and see what others think.
My impression is that the simplest way to improve energy efficiency is to simplify hardware. Silicon is spent isolating software, etc. Time is spent copying data from kernel space to user space. Shift the burden of correctness to compilers, and use proof-carrying code to convince OSes a binary is safe. Let hardware continue managing what it's good at (e.g., out-of-order execution.) But I want a single address space with absolutely no virtualization.
Some may ask "isn't this dangerous? what if there are bugs in the verification process?" But isn't this the same as a bug in the hardware you're relying on for safety? Why is the hardware easier to get right? Isn't it cheaper to patch a software bug than a hardware bug?
My impression is that the simplest way to improve energy efficiency is to simplify hardware. Silicon is spent isolating software, etc. Time is spent copying data from kernel space to user space. Shift the burden of correctness to compilers, and use proof-carrying code to convince OSes a binary is safe. Let hardware continue managing what it's good at (e.g., out-of-order execution.) But I want a single address space with absolutely no virtualization.
Some may ask "isn't this dangerous? what if there are bugs in the verification process?" But isn't this the same as a bug in the hardware you're relying on for safety? Why is the hardware easier to get right? Isn't it cheaper to patch a software bug than a hardware bug?