--- title: Linus Torvalds Working On A Hefty Linux Kernel... description: Linus Torvalds is using Claude Code to help develop a new Linux kernel branch, noref-filemap-read-with-llm, which reworks memory management to read from the... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/linus-torvalds-working-on-a-hefty-linux-kernel-improvement-with-claude-code-rxvrccblj twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: Linus Torvalds Working On A Hefty Linux Kernel Improvement With Claude Code | daily.dev og:description: Linus Torvalds is using Claude Code to help develop a new Linux kernel branch, noref-filemap-read-with-llm, which reworks memory management to read from the... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/linus-torvalds-working-on-a-hefty-linux-kernel-improvement-with-claude-code-rxvrccblj og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/rXVrCcbLJ.png og:image:alt: Linus Torvalds Working On A Hefty Linux Kernel Improvement With Claude Code og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Linus Torvalds Working On A Hefty Linux Kernel Improvement With Claude Code **[Phoronix](https://daily.dev/sources/phoronix)** · 2 min read · 11 upvotes · 3 comments ## Summary Linus Torvalds is using Claude Code to help develop a new Linux kernel branch, noref-filemap-read-with-llm, which reworks memory management to read from the page cache without folio references. The change targets a bottleneck where small reads of a single file from many threads contend on folio reference counting, and Torvalds reports significant performance improvement from the patch series. He confirmed in the kernel patch message that the code, test programs, review, and even the first draft of the cover letter text were produced with Claude Code under his direction, while measurements were run on his own machine. The branch may be merged in the upcoming Linux 7.4 merge window. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Questions this post answers ### Is Linus Torvalds using AI tools to write Linux kernel code? Yes, Torvalds used Claude Code, an AI coding assistant, to help write code, test programs, and conduct reviews for a new kernel branch called noref-filemap-read-with-llm. He stated in the kernel patch message that the code, test programs, review, and even the first draft of the cover letter were done with Claude Code under his direction, with measurements run on his own machine. _Developers curious how AI assistants are entering kernel-level work can follow cases like this on daily.dev._ ### What kernel performance problem does the noref-filemap-read-with-llm branch address? It targets contention on folio reference counting when many threads perform small reads of a single file from the page cache. The patch series reworks memory management code to read from the page cache without taking folio references, which Torvalds reported produces a significant performance improvement, though the branch had not yet been merged into mainline. _Engineers tracking kernel memory management changes can follow this work on daily.dev before it lands upstream._ ## Community discussion Top comments from developers on daily.dev. **@jorgepires** · 1 upvotes > So NO AI is NO AI ... looool **@adampagano** · 1 upvotes > I would expect Torvalds to jive with AI tools given a lot of what he does is tell others what kind of code he wants and yells at them until he gets it. **@devgenx** · 0 upvotes > It is way pass time modern computers got a modern operating system. The Linux kernel has a chance to be the foundation for that OS, and this is a good sign that Linus is taking the steps needed to do that. ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [As the Linux community debates LLM-generated content rules, Linus Torvalds says he "really likes using AI"](https://daily.dev/posts/as-the-linux-community-debates-llm-generated-content-rules-linus-torvalds-says-he-really-likes-usi-pwbagqfj5) · XDA Developers · 1 upvotes · 1 comments - [Linus Torvalds Rejects Performance Fix "Hack" & Kconfig "Terrible Things" For Linux 7.1](https://daily.dev/posts/linus-torvalds-rejects-performance-fix-hack-kconfig-terrible-things-for-linux-7-1-2b5ftbbgl) · Phoronix · 83 upvotes · 4 comments --- Tags: [#linux](https://daily.dev/tags/linux), [#claude-code](https://daily.dev/tags/claude-code), [#vibe-coding](https://daily.dev/tags/vibe-coding) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/linus-torvalds-working-on-a-hefty-linux-kernel-improvement-with-claude-code-rxvrccblj) 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