SE Radio 723: Dave Airlie on Linux Kernel Maintenance

SE Radio 723: Dave Airlie on Linux Kernel Maintenance

From Software Engineering Radio - The Podcast for Professional Software Developers by SE-Radio Team

June 3, 2026 · 1h 9m · Episode 723

About this episode

Dave Airlie discusses Linux kernel maintenance and best practices with host Gregory M. Kapfhammer.

Dave Airlie, a Distinguished Engineer at Red Hat, speaks with host Gregory M. Kapfhammer about Linux kernel maintenance. After over-viewing the scale and structure of the Linux kernel, they dive deep into the review and validation of kernel patches, drawing on examples from the GPU subsystem. After discussing the features and benefits of the Linux kernel's maintenance model, they also explore kernel maintenance best practices and the supporting tools for these practices. Dave and Gregory also discuss topics such as the integration of Rust code in the Linux kernel and the ways in which AI-driven code review are influencing kernel maintenance.

People in this episode

Host: Gregory M. Kapfhammer

Guest: Dave Airlie

Topics covered

  • Linux kernel maintenance
  • kernel patches
  • GPU subsystem
  • best practices
  • Rust integration
  • AI in code review

Keywords

  • Linux kernel
  • kernel maintenance
  • patch review
  • GPU
  • Rust
  • AI code review
  • best practices

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Red Hat

Products: Linux kernel, GPU subsystem, Rust, AI-driven code review

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