Linus Torvalds confirms Linux 7.0 release

Linux creator Linus Torvalds has officially announced that the next major kernel release will be Linux 7.0, set to follow the current version 6.19. This aligns with Torvalds’ informal versioning rule, where he bumps the leading number only after hitting an x.19 release – a tongue-in-cheek system based on counting fingers and toes (20 digits in total).

“Versions 3, 5, and 6 all ended on x.19 before moving up to the next major number, while version 4 had a quirky outlier at x.20,” Torvalds reminded developers in a recent mailing, noting that the 6.19 release arrived without surprises right before the Super Bowl in the U.S. He also joked that for those not tuning into the big game, “maybe it’s time to try out the newest kernel.”

Linux 6.19, the first major release of 2026, brought a raft of important updates. Highlights include expanded support for older AMD graphics hardware (Radeon RX 5000 series and earlier), optimizations for Intel’s hybrid Meteor Lake and Arrow Lake processors, new drivers for network adapters, boosted performance for Btrfs and EXT4 file systems, and improved security measures against speculative execution attacks.

Torvalds stresses that moving to version 7.0 won’t represent a revolutionary shift – Linux’s development model remains incremental. Key focuses will be further improving laptop power efficiency, adding support for emerging standards like PCIe 6.0 and USB4 v2.0, and enhancing the Rust subsystem used for driver development. Linux 7.0 is expected to form the backbone of upcoming distros, including Ubuntu 26.04 LTS and Fedora 40.

Experts note that Torvalds’ “finger counting” versioning scheme, though initially a joke, has become a handy community benchmark. It helps avoid overcomplicated numbering (unlike Windows 11’s 23H2) and lends predictability to Linux’s development cycles. Torvalds himself has repeatedly emphasized that version numbers are merely a convenience for tracking progress; the real focus is the kernel’s continuous daily evolution. Linux 7.0 is tentatively scheduled for release in Q2 2026 after several months of testing in the -next branch.