The Many New Features On The Horizon For Linux 6.2

While Linux 6.1 is introducing many new features, for the Linux 6.2 merge window beginning next week there is a lot more on tap. Linux 6.2 has a lot of exciting additions expected from new low-level software features, continuing to lay more Rust code, new hardware support, stable Intel Arc Graphics support, and a ton more. Here is an early look at some of what is expected.

Based on my daily monitoring of the various Linux kernel Git trees and their "-next" branches, below is a look at the material I've been monitoring over the past two months. Below is a look at what likely will be sent in for the Linux 6.2 merge window over the next two weeks, barring any technical issues from coming up or complaints from Linus Torvalds that could yield any of the pull requests being rejected.

Stay tuned to Phoronix over the Linux 6.2 merge window while most of what will hopefully land includes:

- The Compute Accelerator "accel" subsystem is being introduced. Some AI accelerator drivers are already in the process of migrating to the accel framework.

- Intel DG2/Alchemist discrete graphics are promoted in that they are now officially deemed stable and no longer hidden behind a module option.

- There is also energy sensor monitoring for Arc Graphics also finally landing for the Intel driver.

- Intel Meteor Lake enablement remains ongoing with more code coming in Linux 6.2 but other work remains outstanding and will be merged next year.

- Power-savings improvements when the system is idle or lightly loaded.

- Hoping that the updated Zstd kernel implementation will finally be merged.

- Linux 6.2 will likely go ahead in trying the enabling of kernel IBT (Indirect Branch Tracking) by default on supported CPUs. FineIBT also looks like it will be merged.

- Intel Software Defined Silicon driver updates for this "Intel On Demand" activation opt-in feature coming with Xeon Sapphire Rapids.

- A big Nouveau driver update for open-source NVIDIA support.

- Continued AMD RDNA3 enablement and improvements with the AMDGPU kernel driver code.

- Raspberry Pi 4K @ 60Hz display support should be in good shape.

- More Rust code is being merged to further build off the initial Rust foundation laid in Linux 6.1. Still for Linux 6.2 there aren't any major drivers or Rust toys for end-users but all of the pieces are starting to come together.

- Intel Linear Address Masking (LAM) looks like it's finally ready to go mainline.

- Sensor monitoring support for more ASUS motherboards.

- The interesting HID-BPF was set to be introduced but some technical issues raised by Linus Torvalds and others have expressed concerns. It still might come together for Linux 6.2 otherwise could be pushed back a cycle.

- Ampere Computing has new SMpro co-processor drivers being merged for this AArch64 server processor vendor.

- Apple Silicon CPUFreq driver for CPU frequency scaling with Apple M1/M2 SoCs along with mainline Apple M1 Pro/Max/Ultra SoC support.

- The proposed code to build the Linux kernel with -funsigned-char.

- USB4 wake-on-connect and wake-on-disconnect can be optionally enabled.

- Sensor/fan support for some OneXPlayer gaming handhelds.

- More Compute Express Link (CXL) enablement.

- The Intel TDX guest driver is likely to be mainlined.

- The Intel In-Field Scan "IFS" driver is no longer broken.

- The Dell Data Vault WMI driver is being merged.

- A floppy disk driver fix.

- The Btrfs reserve flush emergency feature is being added alongside a lot of other new Btrfs file-system code.

- Btrfs async discard also looks like it will be enabled by default with this kernel.

- FBDEV drivers will respect the "nomodeset" option.

- Sony DualShock 4 controller support in Sony's newer PlayStation Linux driver.

- Initial support for the new Sony PlayStation 5 DualSense Edge controller.

- The Open Firmware DRM driver is being merged.

- Corsair HX1500i PSU sensor monitoring support.

- Call depth tracking mitigation for Intel Skylake CPUs looks like it's ready to land.

- Allwinner A100 and D1 display support with the Sun4i DRM driver.

- AmpereOne mitigation for Spectre-BHB.

- Dynamic shadow call stack support for AArch64.

- MotorComm YT8521 Ethernet support.

- TCP Protective Load Balancing "PLB" is set to be merged.

- Preparations for 800 Gbps networking support within the Linux kernel.

Stay tuned to Phoronix for the Linux 6.2 kernel feature coverage followed by Linux 6.2 performance benchmarks.