Linus Torvalds unveils Linux Kernel 6.9 with improvements to GPU and networking drivers

Linus Torvalds, the originator of the Linux operating system, has unveiled the latest stable release of the Linux kernel, version 6.9. This release features significant updates, particularly in the areas of GPU and networking drivers. In addition, it provides support for the Rust programming language on AArch64 (ARM64) architectures.

The Linux kernel 6.9 includes several essential file system fixes, such as enhancements to the Bcachefs file system and adjustments in ksmbd. It also offers support for the Named Address Spaces feature in the GNU Compiler Collection (GCC), which enables the compiler to optimize per-CPU data access more effectively.

New features introduced in this release include initial support for FUSE passthrough, allowing the kernel to serve files directly from a user-space FUSE server. It also supports dynamic updating of the Energy Model at runtime and introduces a new LPA2 mode for ARM 64-bit processors.

The Rust language in Linux 6.9 has been updated to version 1.76.0. Torvalds also mentioned “I now have a more powerful arm64 machine (thanks to Ampere), so the last week I've been doing almost as many arm64 builds as I have x86-64, and that should obviously continue during the upcoming merge window too.”