AL Language extension and macOS: what’s next?
The AL Language extension for Business Central currently runs through Apple's Rosetta 2 emulation on Apple Silicon Macs, but Apple plans to discontinue Rosetta by late 2027. Microsoft is working on a solution that will make the extension cross-platform native by automatically downloading the appropriate runtime for each system architecture.
post Stefano Demiliani
"support for Rosetta 2 is planned to be mostly discontinued by late 2027."
Key points
- AL extension uses Rosetta 2 emulation (Intel code translated to ARM) on Apple Silicon Macs, causing performance overhead
- Apple announced Rosetta 2 will be largely discontinued in macOS 28 (fall 2027), making current AL extensions non-functional
- Microsoft plans to release a lightweight extension that automatically downloads the correct native runtime for the user’s system architecture
- Native runtime support will improve performance, reduce extension size, and provide future-proof architecture detection
Quotes
- “support for Rosetta 2 is planned to be mostly discontinued by late 2027.” (This deadline is the critical driver for Microsoft’s urgency in providing native ARM64 support for the AL extension)
Context
- Features: Rosetta 2 emulation layer, automatic runtime download, native architecture support, AL compiler cross-platform compatibility, lightweight extension packaging, architecture auto-detection
- Versions: macOS 27, macOS 28, macOS Tahoe
Source: Stefano Demiliani, community blog. Summary, key points and quotes are derived (CONTENT-NOTICE.md); read the original for the full text.