With the upcoming Ubuntu 26.10 release, Ubuntu is expanding its architecture support by adding official desktop images for 64‑bit RISC‑V systems.
According to reports, Ubuntu Linux ISOs for RISC‑V 64‑bit have so far been limited to server/CLI variants without any pre-seeded desktop environment. Starting with Ubuntu 26.10, there will be dedicated RISC‑V desktop ISOs for both standard Ubuntu and a minimal Xubuntu image.
What the new desktop image provides
The official release page describes the desktop image as:
The desktop image allows you to try Ubuntu without changing your computer at all, and at your option to install it permanently later.
The same description applies to the new RISC‑V desktop images. Key points:
- lets you try Ubuntu without modifying the existing system;
- offers the option to install permanently from the same image;
- requires at least 1024MiB of RAM to install.
On the same release page, Ubuntu also lists preinstalled server images for several architectures:
- 64‑bit PC (AMD64) preinstalled server image;
- 64‑bit ARM (ARMv8/AArch64) preinstalled server image;
- Raspberry Pi Generic (64‑bit ARM) preinstalled server image for Pi 3, 4, 5, CM4, and Zero 2 W;
- RISC‑V preinstalled server image for 64‑bit RISC‑V RVA23 processors and above.
With Ubuntu 26.10, RISC‑V joins AMD64, ARM and Raspberry Pi in having both server and desktop installation options directly from official Ubuntu images.
