Optimizing Python generally means using numpy, cython, or the C FFI. Or numba. Or theano. Or pypy. Unless you farm out what you're doing to another code generat

Optimizing Python generally means using numpy, cython, or the C FFI. Or numba. Or theano. Or pypy. Unless you farm out what you're doing to another code generator or compiled library, Python can't be made fast. Try making matrix multiplication fast without passing through the FFI at all in cpython.