The goal of this Project is to design a dynamic compiler in Java that produces excellent code quality without compromising compile time and memory usage by the JVM.

The compiler uses a clearly defined interface for interacting with the runtime of the JVM. Furthermore, it uses features of Java that make it highly extensible such that adding extra IR nodes and/or transformations is as easy as possible.

In addition to performance goals, this project aims to demonstrate the advantages of writing (some of) a JVM in Java while at the same time addressing the unique challenges such an approach entails. In this sense, Graal is a narrower application of meta-circular JVM design principles as embodied in Maxine and the Jikes RVM.