Reduce Box::default stack copies in debug mode

library/alloc/src/boxed.rs

@@ -1730,7 +1730,20 @@ impl<T: Default> Default for Box<T> {
     /// Creates a `Box<T>`, with the `Default` value for T.
     #[inline]
     fn default() -> Self {
-        Box::write(Box::new_uninit(), T::default())
+        let mut x: Box<mem::MaybeUninit<T>> = Box::new_uninit();
+        unsafe {
+            // SAFETY: `x` is valid for writing and has the same layout as `T`.
+            // If `T::default()` panics, dropping `x` will just deallocate the Box as `MaybeUninit<T>`
+            // does not have a destructor.
+            //
+            // We use `ptr::write` as `MaybeUninit::write` creates
+            // extra stack copies of `T` in debug mode.
+            //
+            // See https://github.com/rust-lang/rust/issues/136043 for more context.
+            ptr::write(&raw mut *x as *mut T, T::default());
+            // SAFETY: `x` was just initialized above.
+            x.assume_init()
+        }
     }
 }
 

tests/codegen/box-default-debug-copies.rs

@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+//@ compile-flags: -Copt-level=0
+
+// Test to make sure that `<Box<T>>::default` does not create too many copies of `T` on the stack.
+// in debug mode. This regressed in dd0620b86721ae8cae86736443acd3f72ba6fc32 to
+// four `T` allocas.
+//
+// See https://github.com/rust-lang/rust/issues/136043 for more context.
+//
+// FIXME: This test only wants to ensure that there are at most two allocas of `T` created, instead
+// of checking for exactly two.
+
+#![crate_type = "lib"]
+
+#[allow(dead_code)]
+pub struct Thing([u8; 1000000]);
+
+impl Default for Thing {
+    fn default() -> Self {
+        Thing([0; 1000000])
+    }
+}
+
+// CHECK-COUNT-2: %{{.*}} = alloca {{.*}}1000000
+// CHECK-NOT: %{{.*}} = alloca {{.*}}1000000
+#[no_mangle]
+pub fn box_default_single_copy() -> Box<Thing> {
+    Box::default()
+}