Because lower-level software has more operational constraints than higher-level software (e.g. it typically cannot tolerate a runtime or memory management via garbage collection), developing a memory safe language suitable for systems software is particularly challenging. The Rust language has met that challenge, however, and is an excellent candidate for replacing C in many systems applications.
We plan to invest in the tools that allow systems engineers to move their software to Rust. This means investing in improving package management, compilers, and Foreign Function Interface (FFI) generators. In many cases this will include providing interfaces compatible with existing widely-used components to enable transition. With these tools, adoption of a memory safe alternative will scale much faster without replication of efforts.
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