As usual, each new Linux kernel release is packed with changes between new features and hardware support, iterating on existing functionality, and as of late also removing more old hardware/driver support where it becomes a greater maintenance burden in the era of AI. There is a lot on the table for Linux 7.3 based on my continuous "-next" Git branch monitoring. Barring any last minute issues or objections raised from Linus Torvalds, here is a portion of the features expected for Linux 7.3. This isn't an exhaustive list so stay tuned to Phoronix for the news articles over the two-week merge window. After that it's on to Linux 7.3 kernel performance benchmarking.
If you are still rocking an AMD Athlon XP era system that has SSE but lacking SSE2, there is a minor optimization coming for Linux 7.3. On the AMD CPU side is also AMD P-State dynamic EPP with per-CPU-core granularity with Zen 6. AMD also added recognition for a new CPU "low power" core type presumably for some Zen 6 SoCs. The AMD Ryzen AI Halo LED driver is also being introduced for the LED on/off and RGB color controls with the nifty Ryzen AI Halo PC.
For Intel CPUs with Linux 7.3 there is queued up a KCFI optimization for benefiting older Intel CPUs with control flow integrity (CFI). For newer Intel Core (Ultra) hybrid CPUs with a mix of P and E cores, Linux 7.3 should better handle cluster load balancing on such setups.
Also on the Intel CPU side for Linux 7.3 is preparations for Intel Starfire as the Panther Lake derived SoC for extreme environments like space. Intel directed package-level thermal interrupts is slated too for Linux 7.3 as an efficiency enhancement. On the Intel graphics side, Intel Nova Lake S graphics are considered stable for Linux 7.3 ahead of those next-gen processors debuting in the months ahead. The Intel graphics driver is also adding support for the Xe3 Peak Bandwidth Threshold feature .
Linux 7.3 for CPU scheduling is to flatten the pick for better scheduling in gaming workloads and more .
Over on the ARM side, there is going to be minor power savings for Apple M1 series hardware during s2idle. Plus there is initial Apple M3 Pro / Max / Ultra support to complement the Apple M3 base model support added in v7.2. But that Apple M3 series support isn't yet in a shape for end-users with just basically booting to a console at this point.
Over on the graphics side, TTM memory management will now be more aggressive . The AMDGPU driver is seeing DCN 6.0 support for next-gen graphics hardware. There is also better GPU reset recovery on old AMD GPUs thanks to Valve. Plus another Timur special is DRM format modifier support on older AMD hardware . AMDGPU is also enabling the second graphics pipe on GFX11 APUs .
The Qualcomm MSM DRM driver is now supporting the Adreno 704 and Adreno 722 GPUs .
Over on the open-source NVIDIA kernel graphics driver side, the Rust-based Nova driver continues to be developed with more functionality in place but not yet ready for end-users. The older Nouveau driver meanwhile is preparing for supporting Vulkan Video with the Mesa NVK driver .
For those interested in hardware monitoring, Linux 7.3 will bring fan sensors for more Lenovo laptops and sensor monitoring on more ASUS desktop motherboards .
FailFS is expected to be upstreamed as a complement to NullFS. Another I/O / storage related improvement for Linux 7.3 is addressing a significant bottleneck for small I/O on PCIe Gen5 NVMe SSDs .
On the networking side there is MCTP over USB v1.1 and Realtek RTL8261C and RTL8261D support .
On the handheld computer/gaming device side, Linux 7.3 should introduce the MSI Claw gamepad configuration driver worked on by Valve and others for configuring the gamepad's input buttons as well as RGB lighting. The MSI Claw A8 BZ2EM is also seeing M-Center key fixes with the new kernel. Also on the input side is Logitech HID++ 2.0 reprogrammable button support . Another win for Linux gaming is fixing a longstanding gap in the native driver for the original Steam Controller .
The next kernel is also expected to introduce the HyperX HID driver for properly communicating the microphone's mute status for devices like the HyperX QuadCast 2 USB gaming microphone. Also on the sound side is SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5X and Nova 7 headset support .
USB4STREAM was introduced by Intel in Linux 7.2 as a means of low-latency data packet transfers between systems over USB4/Thudnerbolt. For Linux 7.3 there is expected to be busy polling as a new lower-latency option for USB4STREAM.
On the Linux virtualization side, the KVM chainsaw is cleaning up some of the Kernel-based Virtual Machine code.
On the security front, Linux 7.3 will fix the kernel's lockdown mode accidentally leaving legacy I/O and memory handlers open . Linux 7.3 is also expected to make it easier to disable Syscall User Dispatch .
On the old-code-removal front for Linux 7.3, old SGI drivers are being dropped as a security concern . Plus some old serial card drivers being dropped too . The FreeVxFS file-system driver is also being removed . The EFS file-system is also being retired .
Phew. And this list is by no means complete. Stay tuned for the upcoming Linux 7.3 kernel merge window coverage and then full steam ahead with Linux 7.3 kernel benchmarking for this kernel that should see its stable debut in late October. Depending upon how the completion of the v7.2 cycle and v7.3 cycles play out, Linux 7.4 should in turn release as stable by the end of December if v7.2 and v7.3 are successfully on-time releases. That would mean Linux 7.4 likely being this year's Long Term Support (LTS) kernel version otherwise it's Linux 7.3.