After 20 years of development, real-time Linux is officially part of the kernel

After two decades of development, the real-time PREEMPT_RT kernel support has been successfully integrated into the Linux 6.12 kernel. This milestone, which brings deterministic, low-latency performance to Linux, is initially available for ARM64, RISC-V, and x86/x86_64 architectures.

Previously maintained through a series of out-of-tree patches, the real-time Linux code is now embedded in all Linux distributions starting with the forthcoming Linux 6.12 kernel. This integration is expected to expand Linux's presence in mission-critical devices and industrial hardware. The Linux 6.12 release, anticipated to be this year's Long-Term Support (LTS) kernel version, signifies a significant achievement for kernel developers and promises numerous changes and enhancements.