C and C++ Still Run the World's Critical Infrastructure

Every few years, a new programming language emerges that's supposed to replace C and C++. Rust, Go, Swift—they're all excellent languages. But here's the reality: over 60% of the world's critical infrastructure still runs on C and C++. And that's not changing anytime soon.

From the operating systems on your phone to the software controlling power grids, from medical devices keeping patients alive to the trading systems moving billions of dollars per second—C and C++ are everywhere. Not because they're trendy, but because they work.

Where C and C++ Are Running Right Now

Let's get specific about what "critical infrastructure" actually means:

• Operating Systems: Linux, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android—all written primarily in C/C++
• Databases: Oracle, MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQL Server—the engines are C/C++
• Financial Systems: High-frequency trading, banking cores, payment processing
• Medical Devices: MRI machines, insulin pumps, patient monitors
• Industrial Control: Power plants, water treatment, manufacturing lines
• Automotive: Engine control units, ABS systems, autonomous driving software
• Telecommunications: Network routers, cell towers, satellite systems

This isn't legacy code waiting to be replaced. This is code that's actively developed, maintained, and trusted with lives and livelihoods.

Why C and C++ Persist

1. Performance That Can't Be Matched

When you need to process millions of transactions per second, when microseconds matter, when every byte of memory counts—you write in C or C++. There's no runtime, no garbage collector, no interpreter between your code and the machine.

For applications where performance is the feature, nothing else comes close.

2. Hardware Access

C was designed to write operating systems. It gives you direct access to memory, to hardware registers, to the metal. When you're writing a device driver, an embedded system, or anything that needs to talk directly to hardware, C is still the lingua franca.

3. Decades of Proven Reliability

That banking system processing your transactions? It's been running for 15, 20, maybe 30 years. Billions of transactions, years of uptime. You don't replace code like that on a whim.

"The most dangerous code is new code. The safest code is code that's been running in production for a decade."

4. The Expertise Exists (For Now)

There's a generation of engineers who understand these systems deeply. They know the quirks, the edge cases, the undocumented behaviors that keep everything running. This expertise is irreplaceable—and it's retiring.

The Challenge: The Knowledge Gap

Here's what keeps CIOs up at night: the engineers who built these systems are retiring. Universities don't teach C and C++ like they used to. The new generation of developers learned JavaScript, Python, maybe some Go or Rust.

But the systems haven't changed. Your trading platform still runs on C++. Your medical device firmware is still C. Your industrial control systems are still Assembly.

When something breaks at 2 AM, you need someone who understands:

• Memory management without garbage collection
• Pointer arithmetic and its pitfalls
• Platform-specific behaviors and undefined behavior
• Debugging without modern tooling
• Reading code written in a very different era

What This Means for Your Enterprise

If your organization relies on C/C++ systems—and if you're in finance, healthcare, manufacturing, or utilities, you almost certainly do—here's what you need to consider:

1. Document everything. Before your experts retire, capture their knowledge. Not just how the code works, but why it works that way.
2. Don't rush to replace. A working C/C++ system is a valuable asset. The risk of replacement often outweighs the benefits.
3. Modernize at the edges. Add APIs, integrate with modern systems, enable AI capabilities—without touching core functionality.
4. Find partners who understand both worlds. You need people who can read Assembly AND deploy to AWS. They're rare, but they exist.

The Bridge Approach

At BJPR, we've spent 35 years in this world. Our founder has worked with C, C++, and Assembly since before most developers were born. We've seen systems that others said couldn't be fixed. We've solved problems that others said were impossible.

Our approach isn't to replace what works. It's to:

• Understand your existing systems at the deepest level
• Add modern capabilities without breaking stability
• Integrate AI and cloud features through clean interfaces
• Preserve decades of embedded business logic
• Transfer knowledge before it walks out the door

C and C++ aren't going anywhere. The question is whether you'll have the expertise to maintain and evolve these systems. That's where we come in.