Linux Kernel Builds Hit 15 Seconds on EPYC Workstation
Lorenzo Stoakes' v4 patches cut defconfig x86-64 kernel compilation from over 22 to 15 seconds on a dual AMD EPYC 9575F system, Phoronix reports.
Linux kernel compilation times have fallen to roughly 15 seconds on a high-end workstation, according to benchmarks published by Phoronix. The improvement comes from v4 kernel patches authored by Lorenzo Stoakes.
On the test system, a defconfig x86-64 kernel build dropped from more than 22 seconds to 15 seconds. The allmodconfig build fell from 169 seconds to 134 seconds.
The machine used two AMD EPYC 9575F 64-core processors, 24 64GB DDR5-6400 modules, and a Samsung PM1743 3.84TB PCIe Gen 5.0 NVMe SSD. The benchmarks did not use a RAMdisk.
Phoronix expects future AMD Zen 6 EPYC 9686F systems with MRDIMMs and PCIe Gen6 storage to push defconfig x86-64 kernel compilation below 10 seconds.
Quick answers
How fast can the Linux kernel compile now?
About 15 seconds for a defconfig x86-64 build on the tested dual AMD EPYC 9575F workstation.
What hardware was used for the kernel compilation benchmark?
Two AMD EPYC 9575F 64-core processors, 24 64GB DDR5-6400 modules, and a Samsung PM1743 3.84TB PCIe Gen 5.0 NVMe SSD, without a RAMdisk.
What is expected for future EPYC systems?
Phoronix expects AMD Zen 6 EPYC 9686F systems with MRDIMMs and PCIe Gen6 storage to bring defconfig x86-64 kernel compilation below 10 seconds.