Linus Torvalds has announced the release of Linux kernel 7.0. This version uses a rounded number because the 6.x series reached a point where a clean rollover helps avoid confusion. Torvalds has made it clear that major version numbers do not necessarily indicate architectural changes.
The release also included a comment from Torvalds about the increasing role of AI in kernel development. He noted that AI tools are likely to continue uncovering corner cases for some time, which he described as possibly becoming the ‘new normal” for the foreseeable future.
Official Rust Support And Other Notable Changes in Linux 7.0
The most notable update in Linux 7.0 is the end of experimental support for the Rust programming language, which is now officially supported for kernel development. Rust had been in an experimental phase within the kernel for several release cycles. With the move to official support, developers can now write kernel code in Rust without it being considered provisional.
Linux 7.0 introduces several updates, including enhanced support for ARM, RISC-V, and Loongson processors. It also offers more advanced KVM virtual machine support for AMD EPYC 5 CPUs. The filesystem has been made more resilient against corruption through self-healing XFS. Additionally, new code has been added for SPARC and DEC Alpha processors, as spotted by Phoronix.
AI Bug Reports and the Linux 7.0 Release Process
Torvald’s comment about AI tools highlights a growing trend in kernel development. Kernel maintainer Greg Kroah-Hartman recently pointed out that AI has become a helpful tool for spotting bugs within the maintenance team.
He also updated the kernel security documentation to better guide AI tools in submitting properly formatted security bug reports, especially as the number of AI-generated reports has increased significantly in recent weeks. Linux 7.0 is now available for download at kernel.org.
