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Linus Torvalds has officially closed the merge window with the release of Linux kernel 7.0-rc1. Although the jump to version 7.0 follows Torvalds’ usual habit of incrementing the major version after x.19 releases, this cycle is packed with substantial changes and new functionality.
Beyond the symbolic version bump, Linux 7.0 is shaping up to be a particularly significant release. It is expected to serve as the default kernel for upcoming distributions such as Ubuntu 26.04 LTS and Fedora 44, further raising its profile.
Hardware Enablement
Linux 7.0 expands support for next-generation processors, including Intel’s Nova Lake and Diamond Rapids, along with additional enablement work for AMD’s upcoming Zen 6 architecture. There is also continued upstream progress for non-x86 platforms, such as Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X2.
On the graphics front, the kernel introduces support for new AMD GPUs tied to future hardware releases.
Core Improvements and New Features
This release delivers a broad set of enhancements across subsystems, including:
- Multiple file system improvements
- Apple USB Type-C PHY support
- Ongoing laptop driver refinements
- Multi-lane SPI and Octal DTR support for SPI NAND
- Expanded sensor monitoring for additional ASUS motherboards
- Non-blocking timestamp support
- Standardized generic I/O error reporting
- The formal conclusion of the Rust “experiment,” confirming Rust as a permanent, supported language within the kernel
Performance Gains
Performance tuning is another major focus in Linux 7.0. Highlights include:
- Noticeable PostgreSQL performance gains on AMD EPYC systems
- Improved sequential read speeds for exFAT
- Continued F2FS enhancements
- Memory management optimizations
- EXT4 improvements for concurrent direct I/O writes
- Intel TSX auto mode enabled by default
- Scheduler scalability and performance work
- Restoration of large page support for Nouveau, benefiting NVK performance
The 7.0-rc1 source tree is available via git.kernel.org for those interested in testing.
A detailed feature overview summarizing the most notable changes is expected soon, along with expanded performance benchmarking results for the Linux 7.0 kernel.
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