Microsoft’s AI‑Driven Quest to Replace C/C++ with Rust: Ambitious Vision, Real‑World Clarifications

breaking: Microsoft launches audacious AI‑driven code change push, targeting C and C++ removal by 2030

In a move pitched as one of the software industry’s most ambitious AI‑driven code transformations, Microsoft has publicized a plan to phase out every line of C and C++ from its core repositories by 2030, with Rust floated as a potential successor for major components. The initiative targets foundational assets, including Windows and Azure, and involves one of the world’s largest code bases.

The announcement came from a senior Microsoft engineer who publicly outlined the strategy on professional networks. The stated aim is to systematically rewrite large swaths of the company’s software using algorithmic automation and artificial intelligence. The disclosure sparked debate over how a shift of this scale could affect product timelines, developer workflows, and the broader software ecosystem.

Galen Hunt’s role and the project’s architecture

Galen Hunt is a renowned figure in Microsoft’s systems development domain. His work centers on operating systems, low‑level software, and increasingly, the integration of artificial intelligence into system software development. He previously led initiatives such as Azure Sphere, a security platform for IoT and embedded devices, and contributed to multiple research projects on kernel and hypervisor boundaries.

Among Hunt’s notable efforts is Drawbridge,a project intended to redefine the boundary between kernel and hypervisor. From 2012 to 2013, he helped apply related technology to production settings, later extending the architecture to linux deployments of Microsoft SQL Server. In his public message, Hunt described a goal of eliminating all C and C++ code from microsoft repositories by the end of the decade.

An unprecedented migration, with caution

for a company with decades of code writen in C and C++, spanning operating systems, databases, compilers, virtualization, and cloud services, this initiative represents more than a technology upgrade. It signals a broader organizational and tooling transformation, touching skills, processes, and the entire development toolchain.

Officials say the effort centers on building infrastructure capable of analyzing large code bases with algorithmic models and AI, aiming to automatically rewrite software components. The project targets a productivity benchmark of one million lines of code converted per month by a single engineer—an aspirational figure meant to illustrate scale rather than a guaranteed outcome.

The program operates under Microsoft’s CoreAI division within the Engineering Horizons group, part of the Future of Scalable Software Engineering program. This setup is designed to develop reusable, enterprise‑scale capabilities rather than being tied to a single product line, with potential applicability beyond Microsoft.

From declaration to clarification

Subsequent statements from Hunt tempered the initial narrative. He clarified that Windows is not being rewritten in Rust through AI, and that the team’s work falls within research and experimentation, not a formal shift in Windows 11 or Microsoft’s core products. The team is exploring language migrations and automated transformations as a broader capability,without committing to Rust as the endpoint of this process.

Even with these clarifications, the underlying direction appears clear: Microsoft is increasingly prioritizing AI in development, maintenance, and code transformation workflows. The broader context includes restructuring and workforce changes, with artificial intelligence playing a central role in the group’s industrial and technical strategy. The exact future role of rust remains uncertain at this stage.

Key facts at a glance

Aspect	Details
Primary objective	Remove C and C++ from Microsoft’s main repositories by 2030; Rust proposed as a possible successor
Scope	Core assets including Windows and Azure; one of the world’s largest code bases
Leading figure	Galen Hunt, Distinguished Engineer, Microsoft
Association & approach	CoreAI division, Engineering Horizons, Future of Scalable Software engineering; AI‑driven code transformation research
Reality check	official clarifications say Windows is not being rewritten in Rust; project is exploratory
Ambition vs. reality	Productivity goal cited for planning purposes; actual timelines and outcomes remain uncertain

Evergreen insights for the tech world

• The rise of AI‑assisted software engineering could reshape how large codebases are maintained, tested, and migrated, with governance and safety considerations foregrounded.
• Public demonstrations of ambitious AI projects frequently enough outpace practical deployment; clarity about scope and risk is crucial for trust among developers and customers.

What this means for developers and industry watchers

While the plan is framed as an exploration rather than an immediate product shift, the initiative signals a broader industry trend: AI‑driven tooling could influence language choices, migration strategies, and toolchains across large enterprises. Stakeholders will want to monitor how Microsoft tests reliability,security,and maintainability as automated transformations scale up.

For those following the evolution of software engineering, this episode underscores the importance of auditing AI tools, establishing clear governance, and tracking measurable outcomes as ambitious research transitions toward production readiness. External experts emphasize the need for rigorous validation, especially when dealing with security‑critical systems and long‑lived codebases.

Further reading: detailed explorations of the Drawbridge project and similar initiatives offer context on how deep the AI‑transformation approach can go, while official Microsoft resources provide insight into the ongoing research framework. For broader perspectives on AI in software development, credible technical analyses and industry reports can be valuable references.

Share your thoughts: Do you think AI‑driven code transformation can sustain reliability at scale? Which areas should enterprises prioritize for AI‑assisted migrations—security, performance, or maintainability?

What is your view on the potential of language migrations in large organizations? Could AI help, or would it introduce new risks that require careful governance?

Follow industry discussions and updates on AI in software engineering through reputable outlets and official project pages, such as the Drawbridge research initiative and Microsoft’s research portal.

External references: Drawbridge Project, Azure Sphere, Rust Language.

The editorial team covers IT and facts security, drawing on field reporting and expert sources to analyze technology news, cybersecurity, and digital risks. The information is gathered from direct research, practical experience, and contributions from diverse operational contexts.

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• Windows Kernel – The Rust for Windows team shipped the first kernel driver written entirely in Rust (RTC 2024).The driver passes microsoft’s Secure Development Lifecycle (SDL) audit, showcasing parity with legacy C++ drivers.
• Azure Storage Stack – Rust modules now handle the low‑level encryption pipeline,reducing CVE‑related incidents by 37% year‑over‑year (Azure Security Report 2025).
• Edge AI Runtime – Rust‑based inference kernels run on Azure Edge VMs, delivering up to 15 % lower latency compared to equivalent C++ implementations (Edge Benchmarks 2025).
• GitHub Copilot “Rust Mode” – Integrated with Microsoft’s internal AI models, Copilot now suggests Rust idioms when editing C/C++ files, accelerating the learning curve for developers transitioning languages.

Real‑World Clarifications: Achievements vs. Ongoing Work

Aspect	Completed Milestones	Ongoing Efforts
Code conversion volume	> 1.2 billion lines of C/C++ automatically converted to Rust prototypes (internal metric, 2025)	Full production rollout for the Windows UI stack still pending; manual validation required for ~15 % of high‑risk modules
Performance parity	Benchmarks show Rust‑based encryption matches C++ implementation within ≤ 2 % variance (Azure Benchmarks 2025)	Real‑time graphics pipelines (DirectX 12) undergoing performance tuning to meet latency targets
Toolchain maturity	Rust for Windows SDK 1.3, Visual Studio 2025 Rust debugging support	Stable integration of AI‑generated unsafe contracts into the microsoft SDL pipeline still in beta
Developer adoption	23 % of Microsoft internal services now have at least one Rust component (2025 internal survey)	broad adoption across legacy C++ teams remains limited due to skill‑gap concerns

Benefits of Replacing C/C++ with Rust

• reduced vulnerability surface – Memory‑safety bugs dropped by 68 % in pilot projects.
• Lower maintenance cost – Rust’s expressive type system cuts the average bug‑fix time from 4.3 days (C++) to 2.1 days (Rust).
• Improved developer productivity – AI‑assisted suggestions eliminate repetitive boilerplate, allowing engineers to focus on business logic.
• future‑proofing – Rust’s evolving ecosystem (e.g., async/await, webassembly) aligns with Microsoft’s cloud‑first strategy.

Practical Tips for Teams Considering Migration

1. Start with isolated modules – Target performance‑critical, security‑sensitive libraries first (e.g., crypto, parsers).
2. Leverage Microsoft’s Rust SDK – Install the rustup-msvc toolchain and import the windows crate for seamless Win32 API bindings.
3. Use AI‑assisted refactoring – Run the rustify CLI on legacy code; review the generated Safety‑Score before committing.
4. Adopt incremental testing – Combine unit tests from the C/C++ codebase with Rust’s cargo test to catch regressions early.
5. Educate the team – Enroll developers in Microsoft’s free “Rust for Systems Programming” online course (Microsoft Learn, 2025).

Case Study: Azure Storage’s Rust Encryption Layer

• Background – Legacy encryption module written in C++ suffered three high‑severity CVEs between 2022–2024.

Microsoft’s AI‑Driven initiative overview

• Strategic shift – As 2023 Microsoft has publicly pledged to reduce the attack surface of its core products by gradually replacing C/C++ code with Rust.
• AI integration – The effort is powered by Azure Machine Learning models that automatically suggest Rust equivalents, flag unsafe patterns, and generate type‑safe wrappers.
• Key programs – Rust for Windows, Azure Rust SDK, and the internal Rustify conversion engine (announced at Microsoft Build 2025) are the three pillars that combine AI assistance with developer tooling.

Why Rust? Security, Safety, and performance

Factor	C/C++ Limitations	Rust Advantages
Memory safety	Manual pointer arithmetic, dangling references, buffer overflows	Ownership model, borrow checker eliminates most memory bugs at compile time
Concurrency	Data races require careful locking, prone to deadlocks	Fearless concurrency via Send/Sync traits, compile‑time guarantees
Binary size	Often larger due to runtime checks and debugging symbols	Optimized LLVM back‑end, zero‑cost abstractions keep binaries lean
Security certifications	Hard to certify due to undefined behavior	Formal verification tools (e.g., MIRAI) integrate smoothly with Rust’s guarantees

Role of AI and Machine Learning in Code Translation

1. Pattern recognition – Large language models trained on Microsoft’s open‑source repositories identify idiomatic C/C++ constructs that map to Rust equivalents.
2. Automated refactoring – The Rustify engine produces initial Rust drafts, automatically inserting unsafe blocks only where a direct safe translation is impossible.
3. Quality scoring – Azure AI evaluates each translation on a “Safety‑Score” (0–100) that factors in memory‑safety warnings, lint violations, and performance regressions.
4. Human‑in‑the‑loop review – Developers use Visual Studio 2025’s “Rust Suggest” pane to accept,reject,or edit AI‑generated snippets,ensuring code‑base consistency.

“AI‑generated Rust has cut our migration cycle from months to weeks without compromising performance,” – Sarah Liu,Senior Program manager,Azure Storage (Microsoft Blog, 2025).

Current Projects Leveraging Rust

• Windows Kernel – The Rust for Windows team shipped the first kernel driver written entirely in Rust (RTC 2024).The driver passes Microsoft’s Secure Development Lifecycle (SDL) audit, showcasing parity with legacy C++ drivers.
• Azure Storage Stack – Rust modules now handle the low‑level encryption pipeline, reducing CVE‑related incidents by 37% year‑over‑year (Azure Security Report 2025).
• Edge AI runtime – Rust‑based inference kernels run on Azure Edge VMs, delivering up to 15 % lower latency compared to equivalent C++ implementations (Edge Benchmarks 2025).
• GitHub Copilot “Rust Mode” – Integrated with Microsoft’s internal AI models, Copilot now suggests Rust idioms when editing C/C++ files, accelerating the learning curve for developers transitioning languages.

Real‑World Clarifications: Achievements vs. Ongoing Work

Aspect	Completed Milestones	Ongoing Efforts
Code conversion volume	> 1.2 billion lines of C/C++ automatically converted to Rust prototypes (internal metric, 2025)	Full production rollout for the Windows UI stack still pending; manual validation required for ~15 % of high‑risk modules
Performance parity	Benchmarks show Rust‑based encryption matches C++ implementation within ≤ 2 % variance (Azure Benchmarks 2025)	Real‑time graphics pipelines (DirectX 12) undergoing performance tuning to meet latency targets
toolchain maturity	Rust for Windows SDK 1.3, Visual Studio 2025 Rust debugging support	Stable integration of AI‑generated unsafe contracts into the Microsoft SDL pipeline still in beta
Developer adoption	23 % of Microsoft internal services now have at least one Rust component (2025 internal survey)	broad adoption across legacy C++ teams remains limited due to skill‑gap concerns

Benefits of Replacing C/C++ with Rust

• Reduced vulnerability surface – Memory‑safety bugs dropped by 68 % in pilot projects.
• Lower maintenance cost – Rust’s expressive type system cuts the average bug‑fix time from 4.3 days (C++) to 2.1 days (Rust).
• Improved developer productivity – AI‑assisted suggestions eliminate repetitive boilerplate, allowing engineers to focus on business logic.
• Future‑proofing – Rust’s evolving ecosystem (e.g., async/await, WebAssembly) aligns with Microsoft’s cloud‑first strategy.

Practical Tips for Teams Considering Migration

1. Start with isolated modules – Target performance‑critical, security‑sensitive libraries first (e.g., crypto, parsers).
2. Leverage Microsoft’s Rust SDK – Install the rustup-msvc toolchain and import the windows crate for seamless Win32 API bindings.
3. Use AI‑assisted refactoring – Run the rustify CLI on legacy code; review the generated Safety‑Score before committing.
4. adopt incremental testing – Combine unit tests from the C/C++ codebase with Rust’s cargo test to catch regressions early.
5. Educate the team – Enroll developers in Microsoft’s free “Rust for Systems Programming” online course (Microsoft Learn, 2025).

Case Study: Azure Storage’s Rust Encryption Layer

• Background – Legacy encryption module written in C++ suffered three high‑severity CVEs between 2022–2024.
• Migration process –
1. AI analysis flagged 1,048 unsafe pointer operations.
2. Rustify generated a 75 % Rust rewrite, inserting unsafe only for low‑level hardware calls.
3. Manual audit reduced the remaining unsafe blocks by 40 % through safer abstractions.
4. Outcome – Post‑migration security audit reported zero memory‑corruption bugs; throughput increased by 9 % due to tighter memory layout optimizations.

Challenges and Limitations

• Interoperability overhead – Bridging Rust with existing C++ APIs requires careful FFI design; mismatched calling conventions can introduce latency spikes.
• Learning curve – Ownership and lifetime concepts demand targeted training; early adoption phases saw a temporary dip in velocity.
• Toolchain gaps – Certain Windows‑specific APIs lack first‑class Rust bindings,necessitating custom wrappers or continued C++ usage.
• AI false positives – The Rustify engine occasionally misclassifies complex macro expansions, requiring developer intervention.

Future Outlook: Timeline and Expected Milestones

Year	Milestone
2026 (Q2)	Public release of Rustify v2 with integrated “Safety‑score” dashboard for Azure DevOps.
2026 (Q4)	Full‑stack Rust support for Windows UI (“Rust UI Toolkit”) entering beta.
2027 (H1)	Target of 50 % of new Microsoft‑wide services written in Rust by default, per Microsoft’s internal roadmap.
2027 (H2)	Completion of AI‑driven migration for the legacy DirectX 11 driver stack, achieving performance parity.

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Keywords naturally woven throughout: Microsoft Rust strategy, AI‑driven code translation, C++ to Rust migration, Azure Rust SDK, Windows kernel Rust, Rust safety, memory safety, performance parity, security vulnerabilities, Rust adoption, low‑level systems programming, GitHub copilot Rust mode, Project Verona, Rust for Windows, Rustify conversion engine.