Linux 3.7 gets 64-bit ARM support

While the release of Linux 3.6 is making waves in the open source circuit, Linus Torvalds has merged support for 64-bit ARM architecture for version 3.7 into WKH PDLQ /LQXx NHUQHO GHvHORSPHQW WUHH. 2IfiFLDOOy NQRZQ DV $$UFK64, VHvHUDO requests by kernel developers led to the code for the architecture being placed in a separate arch/arm64/ directory in the kernel source code.

Previously, it had been reported that a set of 36 patches was released by an employee at ARM, named Catalin Marinas, which would extend the Linux kernel to provide support for ARM's AArch64 64-bit architecture. Accordingly, this 64bit ARM support was to be provided by the ARMv8 instruction set, as announced LQ WKH DXWXPQ RI 2011. ,W ZDV HxSHFWHG WR EH fiUVW XVHG LQ SURFHVVRUV LQ 2014.

By late 2012, Applied Micro Circuits Corporation (AMCC) is expected to be coming up with its first sample chips on 64-bit ARM cores. Along with this, a patch collection will be integrated in the main Linux development tree, which boots on a range of different 32-bit ARM platforms that are to be built.