While Linux 6.12 should be out this weekend with its many exciting features, following that will mark the start of the Linux 6.13 kernel cycle with what will be the first stable kernel release of 2025… Already there is a lot of exciting feature work expected to land during the Linux 6.13 merge window.
Based on my monitoring of the various “-next” branches, below is a look at some of the features expected to be submitted for the imminent Linux 6.13 merge window. Of course, there could always be last minute changes or objections by Linus Torvalds if he spots any weary code, but in any event below is a look at some of what’s on the table for this next kernel version.
Linux 6.13 brings several new features for AMD EPYC 9005 “Turin” processors / Zen 5 as well as the 3D V-Cache Optimizer for exciting Ryzen users, Intel Panther Lake enablement is beginning to heat up, PREEMPT_LAZY is expected, support for more older Apple devices on the mainline Linux kernel, the ReiserFS file-system is set to be sunset, and more:
– The AMD 3D V-Cache Optimizer driver is set to be merged. The AMD 3D V-Cache Optimizer driver allows for Linux users on Ryzen X3D CPUs where only one of the CCDs has a larger L3 cache can communicate their preference whether they want the cores with the larger cache to have priority or the frequency mode where the cores of the other CCD take priority.
– AMD Heterogeneous CPU Design Topology patches have been queued up ahead of Linux 6.13.
– PCIe TPH for TLB Processing Hints as one of the new features with AMD EPYC 9005 series processors.
– Another notable change for Linux 6.13 when it comes to AMD EPYC 9005 series processors is defaulting to using the AMD P-State driver for EPYC Turin rather than the ACPI CPUFreq driver as the former default.
– Initial work on the Intel Xe3 next-generation graphics support with an initial focus on the integrated graphics to be found with Panther Lake processors.
– Intel Panther Lake display support.
– Intel 5th Gen NPU support for Panther Lake.
– Intel GPU temperature reporting support is finally landing…
– Intel OA sync support and PXP GuC auto-teardown functionality.
– Intel PCIe cooling driver is set to be finally merged.
– Controlling Zero RPM functionality for Radeon RX 7000 series graphics cards.
– Runtime repartitioning for the AMDGPU driver.
– DRM client library code.
– PREEMPT_LAZY support is expected to be merged.
– Prep work on Proxy Execution support.
– Arm Guarded Control Stack support for the kernel.
– Big/super page support for the Raspberry Pi graphics driver to yield better performance.
– Sched_ext being extended for LLC and NUMA awareness.
– Basic support for a number of pre-M1 Apple devices on the mainline Linux kernel with A-series silicon and various iPhone/iPad devices.
– Better default/out-of-the-box tuning for Intel Xeon Granite Rapids processors with their EPP powersave value.
– Intel Idle support for Granite Rapids D.
– NVIDIA Mellanox MLX5 DDP support for Data Direct Placement to boost bandwidth performance.
– Rust support for in-place kernel modules.
– DRM Panic support for NVIDIA GPUs on the Nouveau kernel driver.
– Improved logic for trusting built-in Thunderbolt controllers.
– The device aliasing feature for F2FS.
– Corsair Void headset support.
– Platform profile support for newer Dell/Alienware laptops.
– RISC-V user-space pointer masking.
– Dropping of the industrial Fieldbus subsystem.
– Dropping other old and unmaintained staging driver code.
– The ReiserFS file-system is expected to be removed.
Stay tuned for the Phoronix coverage during the Linux 6.13 merge window to see what other features/changes land over the next two weeks. Following that, it’s on to the exciting Linux 6.13 kernel performance benchmarking.
