Exploring the Zigler Library for Elixir NIFs

The episode features Isaac Yonemoto, who is the creator of the Zigler library, which facilitates the use of Zig within Elixir through Native Implemented Functions (NIFs). He outlines how Zigler simplifies the integration of Elixir and Zig, provides various execution modes—normal, dirty, and threaded—and ensures type safety while auto-generating the necessary bridge. The conversation also delves into practical applications like leveraging SIMD for hardware acceleration in large language models and ensuring fault tolerance in low-level systems using OTP practices. Moreover, Isaac shares his unique journey from software development to starting a biotech company, illustrating how he applies Elixir in bioinformatics workflows. The episode covers the latest developments in Zigler, including new OS support and potential future enhancements concerning memory safety.