At the CentOS Connect 2026 event in Brussels, developers revealed plans to bring RISC-V architecture support to the next version of CentOS Stream. The announcement came during a demonstration of the distribution's versatility on unconventional hardware. This development highlights the ongoing evolution of the project since the end of CentOS Linux in 2020.
The CentOS Connect 2026 gathering occurred in Brussels last week, just before the larger FOSDEM open-source festival. This event, part of the FOSDEM Fringe, focused on updates to CentOS Stream, the active successor to the discontinued CentOS Linux from 2020.
CentOS Stream serves as a free upstream version of Red Hat Enterprise Linux and maintains a dedicated community, including major users like Meta. A notable update was the introduction of an official mascot, the quokka, timed with Ubuntu's recent Questing Quokka release.
In a key presentation, Troy Dawson demonstrated installing CentOS Stream on a Steam Deck handheld device live on stage, showcasing its general-purpose capabilities despite fewer packages than distributions like Ubuntu. He then announced the major news: RISC-V support in the upcoming version. "We will offer an image for hardware that is buyable… although someone has to make hardware that the general public can buy first," Dawson stated.
This follows developer previews from IBM and the CentOS Project in May 2025, though official downloads are not yet available. Current RISC-V options, such as in Ubuntu 25.10 "Plucky," remain limited to emulation via QEMU.
Other sessions covered specialized interest groups. Meta's Davide Cavalca discussed hyperscale deployments, while Peter Georg from the Kmods SIG explained support for non-open kernel modules, including Nvidia drivers, and newer kernels like version 6.18. The EPEL SIG was highlighted for expanding software availability to near-Fedora levels, allowing easy installation of additional open-source applications.
These efforts underscore CentOS Stream's adaptability for enterprise and diverse hardware needs, even as alternatives like Rocky Linux and AlmaLinux fill other niches.
