Qualcomm’s Linux for IoT devices has evolved to version 2.0, enabling development on a single platform from AI cameras to industrial PCs.
https://gigazine.net/gsc_news/en/20260703-qualcomm-linux-2-0/
Publish Date: 2026-07-02 18:00:00
Source Domain: gigazine.net
Jul 03, 2026 07:00:00
On June 30, 2026, Qualcomm Linux 2.0, a Linux solution for devices equipped with Qualcomm’s IoT SoCs, became generally available. Qualcomm Linux 2.0 is a major update to Qualcomm Linux, which was announced in 2024, and features a common Linux platform usable across multiple SoCs and products, an open development system, and a configuration designed with production environments in mind.
Qualcomm Linux 2.0 now available – open, unified IoT development
https://www.qualcomm.com/developer/blog/2026/06/qualcomm-linux-2-now-available
IoT devices encompass a wide range of products, from factory robots to industrial touch panels, and the required functions vary greatly from product to product. If the OS and drivers are developed individually for each product, the development team would have to manage software for each chip and product, and even just adding security fixes would require numerous verification tasks, placing a significant burden on them.
In Qualcomm Linux 1.x, two separate systems were managed: Base, which was primarily open source, and Custom, which included proprietary features. This required parallel maintenance of the kernel and user space. Therefore, Qualcomm Linux 2.0 adopts a single software stack, a single kernel, and a single root file system. By unifying the foundation and adding only the features necessary for each product, software for multiple products can be built from the same foundation.
Qualcomm Linux 2.0 is based on the Linux 6.18 LTS kernel and Yocto Project 6.0 Wrynose. The Yocto Project is a mechanism for creating Linux for embedded devices, and is used to create Linux images that combine only the necessary components for a product, rather than directly installing a general-purpose OS like those used in smartphones and PCs. Qualcomm Linux 2.0 includes a BSP layer called ‘meta-qcom’ that bundles the settings necessary for booting and controlling hardware-specific components….
