If there is industry backing, it will happen. The coming generation of programmers (and hence the future of the kernel) are nowhere as near enthused to program

If there is industry backing, it will happen. The coming generation of programmers (and hence the future of the kernel) are nowhere as near enthused to program in C as they're Rust, so this transition is inevitable given time. Especially if the kernel should not slowly die out over the decades, stuck permanently to a fossilised language.