Context IR and Compiler Passes for Enterprise AI
D. Brian Letort, Ph.D.
Digital Realty
April 12, 2026
Related program
Context Compilation TrilogyProgram hub covering one foundational theory paper followed by a three-paper trilogy on IR, runtime lifecycle, and precision-aware optimization.
Summary
Paper 1 operationalizes Context Compilation Theory. It defines a four-level Context IR, a compiler-pass taxonomy for enterprise context pipelines, formalizes context graph breaks, and treats governance as intrinsic to compilation through policy-as-types and a portable Context ABI.
Why This Matters
Most enterprise AI stacks still glue retrieval, summarization, prompts, and memory together without a stable internal representation. This paper gives teams the missing semantic layer: a way to reason about what context is, how it changes shape, where guarantees break, and how governance travels with the compiled artifact.
Key Contributions
- A four-level Context IR spanning source evidence through execution-ready packs
- A compiler-pass taxonomy for selection, normalization, governance, lowering, and optimization
- A formal treatment of context graph breaks and why they matter for reliability
- Policy-as-types and Context ABI concepts that make governance portable across runtimes
- A stronger operational bridge from the precursor theory paper into implementable architecture
Who Should Read This
- AI platform architects designing enterprise context pipelines
- Engineers building retrieval, memory, or agent orchestration systems
- Researchers formalizing context representations and safety constraints
- Leaders who need one vocabulary for governance, semantics, and portability
Related Writing
What This Points To Next
- Compilation-aware benchmarks that score passes and graph-break discipline
- IR lowering paths for agents, models, and interface-specific runtimes
- Portable policy-preserving context exchange across toolchains
- Formal invariants for Context ABI compatibility under model change