Linux kernel maintainers have expressed significant concerns regarding the influx of patches generated by artificial intelligence, stating they feel “completely overwhelmed.” As part of the recent updates, on August 20, the Linux 7.3 kernel’s networking subsystem was enhanced with features such as extended BIG TCP support for UDP tunnels and new wireless drivers, but the maintainers are struggling to manage the volume of AI-generated patches.
The primary feature introduced in Linux 7.3 is BIG TCP support for VXLAN and Geneve UDP tunnel drivers. This enhancement allows the kernel’s network stack to manage data chunks larger than 64 KiB, which reduces per-packet overhead on high-speed connections. Previously exclusive to direct routing tools like Cilium, BIG TCP now extends its functionality to overlay networks commonly used in cloud and container environments. Developer benchmarks indicated throughput improvements ranging from 10 to 15 percent under standard MTU conditions, with gains nearing 35 percent for VXLAN when hardware tunnel offload was disabled.
Jakub Kicinski, a maintainer, noted that he and co-maintainer Paolo Abeni merged 632 patches into the net tree and 648 into net-next, revealing that up to half of the net-next patches appeared to be “AI-driven low priority fixes, cleanups and clarifications.” Kicinski stated, “We are completely overwhelmed, of course,” highlighting the challenges faced by the maintenance team due to the sheer number of AI-generated submissions.
In response to this challenge, the maintainers are leveraging AI to help manage the flow of patches. With support from Meta, they are implementing reviews of incoming patches through multiple frontier models to detect inaccuracies. Kicinski mentioned that the next phase involves automating routine tasks, such as managing patchwork, editing commit messages, and providing procedural feedback with the assistance of large language models. He also noted that certain complex issues, particularly those involving rare race conditions in code paths like PCIe error handlers, cannot be resolved solely by AI.
The recent merge also included several new drivers, such as the mm81x driver for Morse Micro’s Wi-Fi HaLow devices and an initial skeleton for Intel’s iXD driver. Additionally, the MPTCP protocol received updates to improve its performance under extreme memory pressure, while AF_UNIX now features enhanced error reporting capabilities. The first release candidate for Linux 7.3 is anticipated around August 30, with a stable release expected in late October.
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