Linus Torvalds has accepted changes into the Linux 6.1 kernel branch to allow Rust to be used as a second language for developing drivers and kernel modules. The patches have been accepted after a year and a half of testing in the linux-next branch and fixing the comments made. Kernel 6.1 release is expected in December. The main motive behind Rust's support is to make it easier to write safe, high-quality device drivers by reducing the chances of memory errors being made. Rust support is not enabled by default and does not result in Rust being included as a required kernel build dependency.
The kernel has so far adopted a minimal, stripped-down version of patches, which has been reduced from 40 to 13 thousand lines of code and provides only the necessary minimum, sufficient to build a simple kernel module written in Rust. In the future, it is planned to gradually increase the existing functionality, transferring other changes from the Rust-for-Linux branch. In parallel, projects are being developed to use the proposed infrastructure for developing NVMe drive drivers, the 9p network protocol, and the Apple M1 GPU in Rust.
Source: opennet.ru