News
Azul and JetBrains Partner to Improve Kotlin Performance on the JVM
- By John K. Waters
- June 3, 2025
Azul, known for its Java-focused software platforms, and
JetBrains, creator of the Kotlin programming language, are leveraging their respective strengths to address JVM performance bottlenecks. The companies aim to streamline the execution stack for Kotlin applications by combining Azul's runtime optimization expertise with Kotlin’s fine-grained bytecode control.
JVM-Centric Performance Enhancements
At the center of this collaboration is Azul Platform Prime, a performance-focused Java platform. It features the Falcon just-in-time (JIT) compiler built on LLVM and the C4 garbage collector, which maintains low-latency execution across varying workloads. These technologies allow Azul’s JVM to deliver better application throughput and reduce latency, according to benchmark data shared by JetBrains.
In the TechEmpower Web Framework Benchmarks, Kotlin applications running on Azul Platform Prime achieved a 23.9% reduction in latency and up to 30.5% higher throughput compared to the same applications running on a standard OpenJDK distribution. Details of the benchmarking methodology are available via the JetBrains Blog.
Focus on Concurrency and Runtime Optimization
“From its inception, Kotlin was designed with robust, server-side development in mind,” said Vsevolod Tolstopyatov, Kotlin project lead at JetBrains. “Features like inline functions and Kotlin Coroutines support concurrent, scalable execution, but much of the runtime behavior still depends on the JVM. Partnering with Azul allows us to extend these performance gains further.”
Azul CTO Gil Tene noted that runtime performance remains a primary constraint in enterprise-scale JVM applications. “By replacing default JVMs with Azul Platform Prime, Kotlin developers can reduce infrastructure costs and simplify tuning. This collaboration enables Kotlin teams to focus on business logic rather than performance engineering.”
Availability for Evaluation
Engineers can evaluate the integration by downloading Azul Platform Prime Stream Builds, which are available at no cost for development and testing. Azul Platform Prime is certified via the Java SE TCK and is compatible with x86 and ARM64 processors on Linux.
For further industry context, see recent features on AI and JVM performance from Pure AI and related insights on optimizing enterprise-grade Kotlin applications.
About the Author
John K. Waters is the editor in chief of a number of Converge360.com sites, with a focus on high-end development, AI and future tech. He's been writing about cutting-edge technologies and culture of Silicon Valley for more than two decades, and he's written more than a dozen books. He also co-scripted the documentary film Silicon Valley: A 100 Year Renaissance, which aired on PBS. He can be reached at [email protected].