Toward a Theory of Context Compilation for Human-AI Systems
D. Brian Letort, Ph.D.
Digital Realty
April 9, 2026
Summary
This paper proposes that context in AI systems should not merely be retrieved or remembered — it should be compiled. Context Compilation Theory introduces a formal framework where context is selected, transformed, governed, optimized, and lowered into executable context packs for downstream models, agents, and interfaces. The paper defines Context IR as a portable intermediate representation, analogous to compiler IRs in traditional software, and presents CompileBench as a benchmark specification for measuring compilation quality rather than recall alone.
Why This Matters
Every enterprise building with LLMs faces the same fragmentation problem: RAG pipelines, memory systems, prompt templates, and agent context are all solving pieces of the same puzzle without a unifying theory. Context Compilation Theory provides that missing layer — a principled way to think about how context flows from sources through transformation to execution. For enterprise AI leaders, this reframes context management from an engineering detail into an architectural concern that determines system quality, governance, and portability.
Key Contributions
- A constrained-optimization formulation for context compilation
- A taxonomy spanning adjacent paradigms (RAG, memory, long-context, prompt assembly)
- A reference architecture separating source, substrate, compiler, IR, lowering, and runtime layers
- A portable Context IR schema with worked example artifacts
- CompileBench — a benchmark specification focused on compilation quality rather than recall
Who Should Read This
- AI platform architects designing context pipelines
- Engineering leaders building enterprise RAG or agent systems
- Researchers working on memory, retrieval, or context management
- Enterprise AI strategists evaluating infrastructure investments
Related Writing
What This Points To Next
- Formal verification of context compilation correctness guarantees
- Multi-agent context sharing through portable IR exchange
- Compilation-aware benchmarks for enterprise context systems
- Governance and auditability layers for compiled context