[Idea]: develop an Excel add-on which exposes stdlib functionality

Idea

The goal of this idea is to allow users to call stdlib APIs from within Excel. This will allow users to perform linear algebra and various machine learning operations directly on spreadsheet data and all within the browser.

In order to execute on this idea, we'll want to support

two-dimensional array broadcasting semantics
performant element-wise iteration APIs
input argument validation tailored to the Sheets context
Fused operations to avoid unnecessary network calls
documentation and tutorials demonstrating API usage
good generation and automation for creating extension builds
testing and performance measurement to guard against regressions

This idea is the Excel version of https://github.com/stdlib-js/google-summer-of-code/issues/13.

Expected Outcomes

Excel users will be able to install an extension which exposes stdlib functionality, run statistical tests, evaluate mathematical functions, and perform linear algebra operations using stdlib.

Involved Software

No other software is necessary; however, access to a local copy of Excel will be beneficial. While Microsoft 360 can be used, debugging is more difficult and less stable.

Prerequisite Knowledge

JavaScript, Node.js.

Difficulty

Beginner/Intermediate.

Project Length

175/350 hours. Can be scoped accordingly. A skilled contributor can work on a strategy for performant fused operations.

Potential Mentors

@kgryte @Planeshifter @steff456

stdlib-js / google-summer-of-code