Linux creator Linus Torvalds has released Linux Kernel 7.2 RC5, with networking accounting for over one-third of the patch as the open-source project moves towards a stable August release.
Linux creator and lead maintainer Linus Torvalds has released Linux Kernel 7.2 RC5, describing it as “quite a massive” update and another major milestone in the development of the next open-source kernel. Despite its size, Torvalds said there is “nothing in the code looks scary or strange,” signalling a healthy development cycle ahead of the expected stable release in late August 2026.
More than one-third of the entire patch is dedicated to networking after developers returned from conferences and submitted accumulated work. Most of these changes focus on hardware drivers rather than the networking core.
The release also brings an unusual shift in driver activity. USB updates outnumber graphics driver changes, even though AMDGPU typically dominates kernel development. Additional fixes cover sound, tty and block devices, alongside numerous smaller improvements across the kernel.
The Linux kernel source tree has also crossed another milestone, now containing 43,898,743 total lines, including more than 33 million lines of code. The project continues to expand even as developers remove legacy support, including code for the i486 processor.
Calling large RC5 releases the “new normal,” Torvalds indicated that while this candidate is larger than he would prefer, it raises no concerns about code quality. Developers and testers can download Linux Kernel 7.2 RC5 from the official Linux Kernel Archives or Linus Torvalds’ Git tree to help validate the release before the stable Linux Kernel 7.2 version is expected later in August 2026.
