Linux Kernel 7.3 Is Officially Released: 5 Key Features You Must Know
OSTechNix, Monday, October 19th, 2026
Linux 7.3 brings nested sched_ext schedulers, new cgroup CPU weight modes, fchroot(2) and record contributor numbers.
Linus Torvalds released Linux 7.3 on October 18 with a record 18,765 non-merge commits from 3,021 developers, 807 of them first-time contributors.
Torvalds calls the surge of small, often AI-assisted fixes the new 'AI normal'.
The release completes nested sched_ext BPF schedulers with a rescue path for stranded tasks, and adds a cgroup_mode setting with four CPU-weight distribution modes.
It also adds failfs and the fchroot(2) system call for filesystem isolation, better VRAM handling under memory pressure, working-set tracking for VM memory, and faster filesystem operations.