The Linux 6.0 kernel was released with support for the latest architectures
Linus Torvalds introduced a stable version of the Linux kernel 6.0, which provides support for the latest hardware architectures. It is already available to most vendors.
Linux 6.0 features hardware drivers for the recently introduced Intel Raptor Lake processors and the upcoming Meteor Lake processors, as well as open source drivers for the new Intel Arc Alchemist GPUs. The latest AMD driver versions provide support for Threadripper processors, Epyc and future graphics cards based on the RDNA 3 architecture. The new kernel also adds early support for laptops based on Qualcomm Snapdragon processors.
Other changes include:
- Fixed drivers for the Chinese LoongArch processor architecture.
- New V3d graphics driver for Raspberry Pi 4
- Additional extensions for RISC-V platforms.
- Stable H.265 and HEVC codecs.
- MMC Embedded Storage Driver for Rockchip RK3588.
The Linux 6.0 kernel also fixes a problem caused by a 20-year-old patch that slowed down modern AMD processors. The patch, released back in 2002, was designed to address compatibility issues in early implementations of the Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI). But since then, it continued to work until the release of Linux 6.0.
Work will now begin on the release of the Linux 6.1 kernel, which includes several major changes. One is a security improvement (Google engineers have been working on it for over a year) to harden the core by closing Bluetooth vulnerabilities that could allow arbitrary code execution. Another critical element of version 6.1 is support for the memory-safe Rust programming language. Google insists on including Rust in Linux because the company uses it to develop its Linux-based Android OS.
