There was the Unladen Swallow project but it was different in a few areas. The Python front end seeks to create an ahead of time compiler for GCC, whereas Unlad

There was the Unladen Swallow project but it was different in a few areas. The Python front end seeks to create an ahead of time compiler for GCC, whereas Unladen Swallow used LLVM's just-in-time compilation framework. Ahead of time compilation could be quite beneficial to applications like smartphones or video games that could benefit from a faster Python environment but don't allow JITs like PyPy or Unladen Swallow. (License permitting.) The Python front end is also being actively developed right now whereas US seems to have petered out.