WORLDTECHThe end of an era as Linux 7.5 purges the last 30-year-old Intel MMX optimizations from Pentium age
What happened
Intel introduced MMX in the Pentium era, but a patch expected to merge into mainline Linux 7.5 will remove the last remaining optimized software from the open-source OS. Expected to be released in 2027, the new kernel will wipe MMX-optimized code from its software RAID XOR code, explains Phoronix . Intel is a semiconductor and electrical company based in Santa Clara.
Linux developers are preparing to make Intel’s ancient MultiMedia eXtensions irrelevant, with the last MMX code now set to be removed from the kernel. Linux developers are preparing to make Intel’s ancient MultiMedia eXtensions an irrelevance.
Admittedly, there wasn’t much left in Linux in terms of MMX optimizations. But few folks will be running the most modern kernels on Pentium MMX and Pentium II chips in 2026.