Yes, but specifically only for a general purpose CPU.
You could make a CPU optimized specifically for forth or whatever, and likely achieve better performance for the number of transistors than otherwise. For example, if virtual memory isn't helpful, than you can omit that whole subsystem.
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So, it sounds like there likely is unavoidable complexity if you want the screaming performance we're used to.
Yes, but specifically only for a general purpose CPU.
You could make a CPU optimized specifically for forth or whatever, and likely achieve better performance for the number of transistors than otherwise. For example, if virtual memory isn't helpful, than you can omit that whole subsystem.