Haiku OS Achieves Initial ARM64 SMP Support in Virtualized Environments
The open-source Haiku operating system, inspired by the legacy BeOS, has achieved a significant milestone with the introduction of initial symmetric multi-processing (SMP) support for the ARM64 architecture. According to the project's April 2026 status report, this new functionality currently operates effectively within QEMU virtual machines, enabling the handling of multiple cores and threads. Beyond this architectural advancement, the development team implemented various hardware and software improvements. These include enhancements to Bluetooth implementation, fixes for MMC/SDHCI device power management, and the integration of the zyd wireless driver from FreeBSD. Desktop performance was optimized by refactoring the media mixer code to delay startup until an application connects, thereby improving CPU and power efficiency. Additionally, command-line interface tools like ltrace received updates, although they remain unstable for general use. These developments represent continued progress toward the upcoming sixth beta release of Haiku, as developers focus on resolving remaining bugs and expanding hardware compatibility. The report highlights the operating system's steady evolution in supporting modern computing standards while maintaining its unique design philosophy.
Wire timeline
Haiku OS Achieves Initial ARM64 SMP Support in Virtualized Environments
The open-source Haiku operating system, inspired by the legacy BeOS, has achieved a significant milestone with the introduction of initial symmetric multi-processing (SMP) support for the ARM64 architecture. According to the project's April 2026 status report, this new functionality currently operates effectively within QEMU virtual machines, enabling the handling of multiple cores and threads. Beyond this architectural advancement, the development team implemented various hardware and software improvements. These include enhancements to Bluetooth implementation, fixes for MMC/SDHCI device power management, and the integration of the zyd wireless driver from FreeBSD. Desktop performance was optimized by refactoring the media mixer code to delay startup until an application connects, thereby improving CPU and power efficiency. Additionally, command-line interface tools like ltrace received updates, although they remain unstable for general use. These developments represent continued progress toward the upcoming sixth beta release of Haiku, as developers focus on resolving remaining bugs and expanding hardware compatibility. The report highlights the operating system's steady evolution in supporting modern computing standards while maintaining its unique design philosophy.
Phoronix