Linux developers are beginning to end support for the 37-year-old Intel 486 processor.
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It has been revealed that Linux has begun ending support for the Intel 486 processor, which was released in 1989. Linux developer Linus Torvalds said, 'There is no reason to waste a single second on support.'
x86/cpu: Remove M486/M486SX/ELAN support - kernel/git/tip/tip.git - Unnamed repository; edit this file 'description' to name the repository.
https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/tip/tip.git/commit/?h=x86/platform&id=8b793a92d862c89055daa97ffa61a6929cf732f9
Linux 7.1 Expected To Begin Removing i486 CPU Support - Phoronix
https://www.phoronix.com/news/Linux-7.1-Phasing-Out-i486
Linux devs start removing support for 37-year-old Intel 486 CPU — head honcho Linus Torvalds says 'zero real reason' to continue support | Tom's Hardware
https://www.tomshardware.com/software/linux/linux-devs-start-removing-support-for-37-year-old-intel-486-cpu-head-honcho-linus-torvalds-says-zero-real-reason-to-continue-support
In April 2026, Linux developer Ingo Molnar created a patch to remove support for the Intel486. This patch is scheduled to be merged into Linux 7.1, which is expected to be released at the end of April, preventing users from building Intel486 kernel images. It is then expected that the actual Intel486 support code will be removed in subsequent kernel series.
In the patch notes, Molnar stated, 'Maintaining support for older 32-bit CPUs requires a variety of complex hardware emulations on x86-32, and the compatibility code presents ongoing maintenance challenges for kernel maintainers.' According to Molnar, ending support for the Intel486 and early Intel586 will allow for the removal of over 10,000 lines of code. Torvalds, Linux's ' gentle lifelong dictator ,' had mentioned the Intel486 back in 2022 , stating that deactivating support would allow for the removal of unnecessary code.
Technology media outlet Ars Technica stated, 'Even though support has ended, anyone who still has the passion to run an Intel 486 should also have the ingenuity to find copies of the software for that system. In the world of computers, there is no end to learning.'
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