Linux 5.1 rc1 has been released

The first Linux Kernel 5.1 release candidate has appeared. The update largely concerns driver changes. Intel Fastboot is now enabled by default when using Intel Skylake and later processors.

The release of Linux Kernel 5.1 rc1 has been announced by Linus Torvalds. He speaks of an average release in terms of size and about sixty percent is taken up by drivers. He specifically mentions the driver support for Habana Labs’ Goya accelerator to speed up deep learning computations. Torvalds expects to see more support in this area.

Also new is that Intel Fastboot is the default for systems with Intel Skylake processors or later models for smoother boot procedures. There is also support for hdcp 2.2 and some changes have been made regarding the Specter vulnerabilities.

Finally, there is support for the ARM part of the Bitmain soc, but not yet for the risc-v core, and there is support for the ARM processors Socionext Milbeaut, NXP i.MX8QuadXPlus and some Renesas models. Phoronix on.