The ESP32-S31 microcontroller from Espressif can now run a standard Linux kernel natively, without emulation. The company has released a preliminary Linux BSP (Board Support Package), and third‑party developers have already ported Linux 6.18 and 7.1 to the chip. These ports support a command line interface, displays, network interfaces, and memory cards.
The key difference between the ESP32-S31 and earlier family members is the CPU core architecture. The chip integrates two 32‑bit RISC‑V cores running at up to 320 MHz, full Sv32 virtual memory support, and three privilege levels: Machine, Supervisor, and User. This allows the Linux kernel to run in Supervisor mode while user applications execute in User mode, similar to conventional computers.
ESP32-S3-WROOM-1 microcontroller board — Image: VectorVoyager / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Espressif’s Linux implementation is currently in Developer Preview status. It is based on Buildroot 2025.02 and uses OpenSBI, U‑Boot, and Linux 6.18. After boot, the system starts a CramFS file system and a BusyBox shell. Besides Buildroot, Espressif has also prepared experimental Yocto/OpenEmbedded support for the ESP32-S31.
Developers note that the ESP32-S31 is still far from being a full Raspberry Pi replacement. Even entry‑level single‑board computers offer more powerful processors and more RAM, whereas Linux on the ESP32-S31 has to operate within just tens of megabytes of PSRAM. At the same time, the chip enables the use of a familiar Linux stack in compact embedded device projects.
Source: Habr Xəbərlər
