What's Happening?
Debian has announced that LoongArch, a CPU architecture developed by Loongson in China, has been promoted to an official architecture for the upcoming Debian 14 release, codenamed 'Forky'. This decision comes more than two years after LoongArch 64-bit,
also known as 'Loong64', was initially bootstrapped in Debian Ports. The promotion means that LoongArch will be fully supported in the Debian 14 release, which is expected to be available in 2027. The initial set of 112 packages has been manually built and imported, allowing the setup of the first build daemon (buildd) that has already processed and uploaded 300 new packages. The process of bootstrapping is anticipated to take about a week, with potential for increased throughput if additional buildd instances are added.
Why It's Important?
The inclusion of LoongArch as an official architecture in Debian 14 signifies a major step in diversifying the CPU architectures supported by Debian, one of the most widely used Linux distributions. This move could enhance the adoption of LoongArch, particularly in regions where Loongson processors are prevalent, such as China. It also reflects Debian's commitment to supporting a wide range of hardware, which is crucial for maintaining its relevance in the global open-source community. The decision could potentially influence other Linux distributions to consider supporting LoongArch, thereby expanding its ecosystem and encouraging further development and optimization of software for this architecture.
What's Next?
As Debian 14 'Forky' is expected to be released in 2027, the focus will be on completing the bootstrapping process and ensuring that LoongArch is fully integrated and supported. This will involve building and testing a comprehensive set of packages to ensure compatibility and performance. The success of this integration could lead to increased interest from hardware manufacturers and developers in supporting LoongArch, potentially leading to more widespread adoption. Additionally, the open-source community may see an increase in contributions and collaborations aimed at optimizing software for LoongArch, further strengthening its position in the market.
