November 2, 2026

Linux 7.4 has the biggest merge window ever, and AI is behind much of it

The next Linux kernel took in nearly 20,000 commits before its first test build, the most ever. Phoronix ties the surge to AI tools, while Linus Torvalds says it is not the only reason.

• The Linux 7.4 merge window brought in 19,671 commits since Linux 7.3, the busiest on record, Phoronix reports.
• Merge windows used to carry 13,000 to 14,000 commits or fewer; Phoronix says the recent jump is due to AI and LLM activity.
• Linus Torvalds called the release large and full of fixes for issues found by AI, but said 7.4 is also expected to be a long-term support release.
• The kernel source tree is now about 41.6 million lines, and nearly half a million lines of code were added in this window.

Why it matters: The Linux 7.4 merge window brought in 19,671 commits, the largest in the kernel's history, Phoronix reports. Phoronix links the surge to AI and LLM tools that find bugs and suggest fixes, while Linus Torvalds says a long-term support release also draws bigger pulls. The kernel tree now holds about 41.6 million lines. The first test build, 7.4-rc1, was due later on Sunday.