Linus Torvalds has announced the release of Linux Kernel 7.0. This version uses a rounded number because the 6.x series has 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 said AI tools could continue to uncover 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 End of experimental support for the Rust programming languageWhich is now officially supported for kernel development. Rust was 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 considering it as provisional.
Linux 7.0 introduces several updates, including advanced support for ARM, RISC-V, and Lungson processors. It also offers more advanced KVM virtual machine support for AMD EPYC 5 CPUs. The file system is made more resilient against corruption through self-healing XFS. Additionally, new code has been added for SPARC and DEC Alpha processors, as seen by Phoronix.
AI bug reports and Linux 7.0 release process
Torvalds’ comments about AI tools highlight a growing trend in kernel development. Kernel maintainer Greg Kroah-Hartman recently pointed out that AI has become a helpful tool for detecting bugs within the maintenance team.
They 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 on kernel.org.
