With the release of Debian 13.0 “Trixie” on August 9, 2025, developers are already looking toward the future with Debian 14 “Forky,” scheduled for 2027. One of the major features expected is improved support for the LoongArch64 architecture, known as “Loong64,” developed by Chinese company Loongson.
The Road to Debian 14 “Forky”
Debian 13.0 “Trixie” was officially released on August 9, 2025, marking the beginning of a new development cycle. Immediately following the release, FTP masters began setting up new suites for testing, preparing to open forky for development.
Forky is the development codename for Debian GNU/Linux 14, following the tradition of naming releases after Toy Story characters. According to Debian’s current schedule, which maintains releases approximately every two years, Debian 14 is scheduled to arrive in 2027.
LoongArch: The Rising Chinese Architecture
The LoongArch architecture represents a significant development in the processor landscape. The LoongArch ISA is used on CPUs created by Loongson, who have internally created a loongarch64 port that they have turned into an unofficial Debian port called loong64.
This architecture has particular characteristics that make it unique:
- Technological foundation: LoongArch is based on MIPS64 and inspired by RISC-V
- Open-source development: LoongArch has been seeing significant open-source work recently, with support that has been incorporated into major compilers, ongoing Linux kernel support, and enablement elsewhere within the open-source ecosystem
Current Status in Debian
Progress as Unofficial Port
LoongArch was added to the Debian Ports archive mirrors in August 2023, starting with approximately 200 packages in the initial bootstrap. Since then, there has been steady progress toward becoming a self-hosting port.
Development Infrastructure
The porterbox for loong64 is available at shenzhou.debian.net, providing developers with access to real hardware for testing and development. Once the self-hosting milestone is achieved, Debian plans to begin running package builds on actual LoongArch CPU hardware hosted at Loongson.
Plans for Debian 14
Official Package Inclusion
According to the “Bits from the Release Team: Let’s Fork(y)!” announcement published following the Debian 13.0 release, there is promising news for LoongArch64:
“We expect to be in a position to start accepting packages built for loong64 into forky very soon (subject to architecture qualification later in the cycle).”
This means that while final architecture qualification will occur later in Forky’s development cycle, it will soon be possible to incorporate Loong64 packages into the main repository.
Qualification Process
The ArchiveQualification/loong64 page on the Debian wiki details the criteria the architecture must meet, including:
- Availability of at least 3 developers actively maintaining the port
- Demonstrating real use cases for the architecture
- Stable and reliable build infrastructure
Broader Technical Context
Linux Kernel Support
LoongArch development in the Linux ecosystem has been impressive:
- Initial LoongArch support merged in Linux 5.19
- Linux 6.15 added support for Loong64 (LoongArch 64-bit) Debian GNU/Linux in Kbuild tools
- Kernel limits are being increased to support up to 2,048 LoongArch CPU cores
Future Developments
Patches are being proposed to begin adding 32-bit LoongArch support to the Linux kernel, indicating that the architecture continues to evolve and expand.
Comparison with RISC-V
It’s interesting to note the parallel between LoongArch and RISC-V in Debian:
- Debian 13: RISC-V makes its official debut as a supported architecture
- Debian 14: LoongArch64 could follow a similar path toward official support
Implications and Perspectives
For the Industry
The potential inclusion of LoongArch64 in Debian 14 represents several significant aspects:
- Architectural diversification: Reduces dependence on dominant architectures
- Chinese innovation: Recognizes China’s technological advances in processor design
- Technological sovereignty: Provides alternatives for markets seeking technological independence
For Developers
Developers will be able to benefit from:
- Access to a new hardware platform
- Optimization opportunities specific to LoongArch
- Experience with emerging architectures
Expected Timeline
Based on the release team announcement:
- Short term (2025): Beginning of loong64 package acceptance into forky
- Medium term (2026): Architecture qualification process
- Long term (2027): Release of Debian 14 with potentially official LoongArch64 support
Architecture Technical Details
LoongArch Specifications
The LoongArch architecture brings several technical innovations:
- RISC-style ISA: Clean, reduced instruction set computing design
- 64-bit focus: LoongArch64 is the primary target for server and desktop applications
- Scalability: Recent kernel improvements support configurations up to 2,048 CPU cores
- Ecosystem maturity: Two years as an unofficial Debian Port has proven stability
Current Hardware Landscape
LoongArch processors shipping from Loongson are currently in the 4-16 core space, but there have been discussions of the Loongson 3E6000 at 64-128 cores for server CPUs. While these higher-core processors don’t appear to be shipping in volume yet, the architecture is clearly designed for future scalability.
Community and Development Support
Developer Engagement
The LoongArch port has maintained active development with:
- Dedicated porterbox infrastructure
- Regular package builds and updates
- Active participation in Debian development processes
- Integration with upstream software projects
Testing and Quality Assurance
The two-year period as an unofficial port has provided valuable data on:
- Package compatibility and build success rates
- Performance characteristics across different workloads
- Integration challenges and solutions
- Community adoption patterns
Global Technology Context
Strategic Importance
The inclusion of LoongArch64 in Debian reflects broader trends in the technology industry:
- Processor diversity: Moving beyond x86 and ARM dominance
- Regional innovation: Supporting processor architectures from different geographical regions
- Open-source collaboration: Demonstrating how open-source projects can bridge technological and political boundaries
Market Implications
Official Debian support could accelerate LoongArch adoption by:
- Providing enterprise-grade Linux distribution support
- Enabling broader software ecosystem development
- Facilitating easier migration paths for organizations
- Supporting educational and research initiatives
Challenges and Considerations
Technical Hurdles
Several challenges remain for full LoongArch64 integration:
- Package coverage: Ensuring broad software compatibility
- Performance optimization: Maximizing efficiency for the architecture
- Hardware availability: Expanding access to LoongArch systems
- Documentation: Comprehensive guides for developers and users
Ecosystem Development
Success will depend on:
- Continued hardware innovation from Loongson
- Growing software vendor support
- Educational initiatives to build developer expertise
- Real-world deployment case studies
Conclusion
The potential inclusion of LoongArch64 in Debian 14 marks an important milestone for both the distribution and the processor architecture developed by Loongson. Loong64 has been an unofficial Debian Port for two years, gradually moving closer to becoming one of the prominent architectures supported by Debian Linux.
This development underscores Debian’s continued commitment to supporting diverse and emerging architectures, maintaining its position as one of the most inclusive and technically advanced Linux distributions in the open-source ecosystem.
The success of this initiative will depend on the continuity of development work, build infrastructure stability, and real community demand for this architecture in production environments. As Debian continues to evolve, the inclusion of LoongArch64 represents not just technical progress, but also the global nature of open-source collaboration and innovation.
With the groundwork laid during the Debian 13 cycle and the promising announcements from the release team, Debian 14 “Forky” is positioned to potentially make LoongArch64 a first-class citizen in the Debian ecosystem, opening new possibilities for users, developers, and the broader Linux community.
This article is based on official information from Debian development teams and specialized Linux technology sources. For updates on LoongArch64 progress in Debian, it is recommended to follow the project’s official mailing lists and documentation on the Debian wiki.
Sources: LoongArch, Loong64 port y Debian List
