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Linus Torvalds just capped off the Linux 7.0 merge window with the release of Linux 7.0-rc1. While the big version bump is coincidental with Linus Torvalds liking to bump it after x.19, Linux 7.0 is quite heavy on new features.

Linux 7.0 is packing a lot of changes and new features. Making this kernel all the more interesting beyond the changes and big version number is that it’s also expected to be the default kernel for the likes of Ubuntu 26.04 LTS and Fedora 44 for making this an extra special release. Linux 7.0 brings more enablement work for Intel Nova Lake and Diamond Rapids processors, more AMD Zen 6 enablement too, and a lot of new hardware driver support throughout – including for non-AMD/Intel platforms like more Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 upstreaming work. On the graphics side is also new AMD graphics hardware support for upcoming products.

Just a reminder, going from 6.x to 7.x does not mean there are more new features than usual. The numbering is totally arbitrary and Linus once joked about running out of fingers and toes to count

I, for one, welcome our vigesimal BDFL.

I honestly think it would be much cooler if linux used semantic versioning instead of random versioning, but Linus bumping majors just because he feels like it is also funny and cool.