The Linux 7.4 merge window has become the largest in the history of the Linux kernel series examined, reaching 19,671 Git commits. The figure is substantially above the levels typically recorded in recent years, when merge windows generally remained at or below 13,000 to 14,000 commits.
The data covers every major kernel release from Linux 3.1, released in 2011, through Linux 7.4. The upward trend has become particularly visible in the latest releases: Linux 6.7 recorded 16,203 commits, Linux 7.3 reached 16,267, and Linux 7.4 has now climbed to 19,671.
The increase in development activity has been attributed in part to the growing volume of AI- and large language model-related work. Kernel maintainers have reportedly been overwhelmed by AI-generated bug reports and patches, while the additional fixes and changes have contributed to a sharp rise in Git activity.
The final total for Linux 7.4 could still increase slightly, as more commits were expected before the anticipated release of Linux 7.4-rc1 later that day.
The surge also extends beyond the merge window itself. Linux 7.3 was the first release cycle in the data set to exceed 20,000 commits across the complete development period, with 20,260 commits between versions 7.2 and 7.3. Linux 7.4 is approaching that amount during its merge window alone.
Sources: Phoronix.