Mojo (programming language)

Mojo is a programming language in the Python family that is currently under development.^[3][4][5] It is available both in browsers via Jupyter notebooks,^[5][6] and locally on Linux and macOS.^[7][8] Mojo aims to combine the usability of a high-level programming language, specifically Python, with the performance of a system programming language such as C++, Rust, and Zig.^[9] As of 2024^[update], the Mojo compiler is proprietary software (closed source) with an open source standard library. Modular, the company behind Mojo, has stated an intent to eventually open source the Mojo language, as it matures.^[10]

Mojo builds on the Multi-Level Intermediate Representation (MLIR) compiler software framework instead of directly on the lower level LLVM compiler framework, as do many languages such as Julia, Swift, Clang, and Rust.^[11][12] MLIR is a newer compiler framework that allows Mojo to exploit higher level compiler passes unavailable in LLVM alone, and allows Mojo to compile down and target more than only central processing units (CPUs), including producing code that can run on graphics processing units (GPUs), Tensor Processing Units (TPUs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) and other accelerators. It can also often more effectively use certain types of CPU optimizations directly, like single instruction, multiple data (SIMD) with no direct intervention by a developer, as occurs in many other languages.^[13][14] According to Jeremy Howard of fast.ai, Mojo can be seen as "syntax sugar for MLIR" and for that reason Mojo is well optimized for applications like artificial intelligence (AI).^[15]