Ask HN: Is C++ making a comeback due to a slowdown in CPU improvements?

I would say not really. In the late 90's and early 2000's, there was a big push toward managed languages because the typical desktop had CPU to spare compared with what people did with it.

Since then, two things have happened. First, smart phones and other mobile devices placed a premium on battery life, and the CPU can no longer be as power hungry as it is on the desktop.The best way to conserve power is to "race to sleep", finish what you are doing quickly so the cpu can go back to sleep. Efficient languages such as this help in this regard.

Next, more and more code is being run in datacenters on servers that serve thousands or millions of users. Using a more efficient language like C++ means you can have more users on a single box because you efficiently use CPU and memory. This in turn reduces your equipment costs, cooling and electricity costs, and possibly network costs since you have fewer machines doing more stuff.

Concurrent with these trends, C++11/C++14 have greatly improved the usability of the language. With Modern C++11/14, programmers can often be just as productive (if not more so) as they would be using a managed language, and still get the performance benefits of C++.

All these factors have combined to cause a resurgence in interest in C++.

C++ has been well and alive since the 80', although it was a bit sleepy during the years 2000.