Linux 6.16 Adds 'X86_NATIVE_CPU' Option To Optimize Your Kernel Build

unixbhaskar shares a report from Phoronix: The X86_NATIVE_CPU Kconfig build time option has been merged for the Linux 6.16 merge window as an easy means of enforcing '-march=native' compiler behavior on AMD and Intel processors to optimize your kernel build for the local CPU architecture/family of your system. For those wanting to '-march=native' your Linux kernel build on AMD/Intel x86_64 processors, the new CONFIG_X86_NATIVE_CPU option can be easily enabled for setting that compiler option on your local kernel builds.

The CONFIG_X86_NATIVE_CPU option is honored if compiling the Linux x86_64 kernel with GCC or LLVM Clang when using Clang 19 or newer due to a compiler bug with the Linux kernel on older compiler versions. In addition to setting the '-march=native' compiler option for the Linux kernel C code, enabling this new Kconfig build option also sets '-Ctarget-cpu=native' for the kernel's Rust code too.

'It seems interesting though,' comments unixbhaskar. 'If the detailed benchmark shows some improvement with the option selected, then distros might start to adopt it for their flavor.'

Read more of this story at Slashdot.