Linux 7.1 stable released

Category: Linux/Kernel
Status: confirmed
Sources: Phoronix release coverage, OMG Ubuntu feature list, HN discussion
Summary: Linus Torvalds released the Linux 7.1 stable kernel on 2026-06-14, half a day early ahead of travel, after declaring 7.1-rc7 the final candidate. Headline changes are a new in-tree NTFS driver that gives native read and write support for Microsoft's filesystem, Intel FRED (Flexible Return and Event Delivery) enabled on supporting hardware including Panther Lake for faster privilege-level transitions, faster Intel Arc Battlemage graphics, expanded AMD GPU defaults, and the removal of Intel 486 CPU support. The cycle ran heavier than usual due to a surge of AI-agent-generated patches.
Why it matters: The new in-kernel NTFS driver and the FRED interrupt-delivery rework change storage and low-level performance behavior, and distributions and CI pipelines tracking mainline can now schedule the 7.1 merge.
Follow-up: Review the changelog for scheduler, io_uring, and eBPF changes; watch first stable point releases for FRED and NTFS-driver regressions.