Early tests of the Linux 6.19 development kernel on a dual AMD EPYC 9965 processor server reveal strong performance in high-performance computing workloads. Despite some scheduler issues, the kernel shows promising results for AI and HPC applications. These benchmarks compare it against the stable Linux 6.18 version.
The Linux 6.19 merge window concluded over the weekend, prompting initial benchmarks on various systems. On a flagship AMD EPYC 9965 dual-processor setup, which provides 384 cores and 768 threads, testers evaluated the kernel's performance using an AMD Volcano reference server platform.
The tests pitted Linux 6.19 Git from December 12 against the stable Linux 6.18, maintaining identical hardware and software except for kernel differences. The operating system was based on Ubuntu 25.10 defaults, with the same kernel configuration apart from Linux 6.19's new options.
A range of benchmarks focused on real-world Linux server workloads highlighted encouraging outcomes, particularly for HPC tasks, even amid noted scheduler regressions in the development kernel. The configuration demonstrated excellence in AI and HPC performance areas.
Further testing on additional hardware and workloads is planned in the coming weeks. Linux 6.19-rc1 was released today, with the stable version expected around early February.
