64-Bit Raspberry Pi OS Launches
Your Raspberry Pi single-board computer can finally start using a 64-bit version of the Raspberry Pi OS.
This week, Gordon Hollingworth, Director of Software Engineering at Raspberry Pi, announced that a 64-bit version of the Raspberry Pi OS was being made available after a year of testing it in beta form. It brings to an end nearly a decade of focusing on 32-bit, but the change isn't without good reason.
As Hollingworth explains, "maximizing compatibility" has always been the focus for the OS because it avoids customer confusion and means it doesn't matter which Pi board you choose, the official OS would run as expected. However, the advantages of embracing 64-bit now outweigh sticking to just 32-bit builds.
Those advantages include allowing for greater compatibility with software that is only available for arm64, taking advantage of the performance benefits of the A64 instruction set, and allowing applications to access more than 3GB of RAM for a single process, which will potentially be very useful for anyone with a 4GB or 8GB Raspberry Pi 4.
Running a 64-bit OS on a Raspberry Pi isn't a new idea as third-party operating systems have been offering the option for some time. Boards dating back to 2016 (Raspberry Pi 3) have been capable of running a 64-bit OS, but now the official Raspberry Pi OS is available in 64-bit form if you head on over to the download page.
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