> 2) The Rump Kernel project has very promising results with MySQL running as a unikernel, so we're working on integrating a MirageOS frontend with a MySQL backend unikernel.

Interesting. The big issue I see from the proposed model (spin up your application on-demand) is the need to retain a long-lived connection pool to a "traditional" container/machine with a standard relational database (the cost of reestablishing a connection every time would obviate any benefit of the scheme).