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Inside Java · Thursday · 41 min

"Operator Overloading with Type Classes" [AtA]

OpenJDK's Project Valhalla is improving Java's support for custom numerical types. That goes beyond value types and also encompasses explorations into operator support. While Java is extremely unlikely to ever allow arbitrary operator definitions, it may well support limited operator overloading, so custom value types could be added or multiplied with plus or multiplication signs instead of annoying method calls. In this "Ask the Architects" episode of the Inside Java Podcast, recorded during JavaOne 2026, Nicolai Parlog talks to Joe Darcy, Valhalla committer in the Java Platform Group at Oracle. "Ask the Architects" is our podcast show, where we talk to experts in OpenJDK about their work on the Java language, API, and runtime.

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OpenJDK's Project Valhalla is improving Java's support for custom numerical types. That goes beyond value types and also encompasses explorations into operator support. While Java is extremely unlikely to ever allow arbitrary operator definitions, it may well support limited operator overloading, so custom value types could be added or multiplied with plus or multiplication signs instead of annoying method calls.

In this "Ask the Architects" episode of the Inside Java Podcast, recorded during JavaOne 2026, Nicolai Parlog talks to Joe Darcy, Valhalla committer in the Java Platform Group at Oracle.

"Ask the Architects" is our podcast show, where we talk to experts in OpenJDK about their work on the Java language, API, and runtime.

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