According to Phoronix, Intel has placed its IWD (iNet Wireless Daemon) project into a development hiatus, halting active feature work on the modern Linux Wi-Fi connectivity software. This pause comes as the company prepares the Kernel-based Virtual Machine (KVM) hypervisor to support its upcoming Advanced Performance Extensions (APX) for future CPUs like the Xeon “Clearwater Forest” processors. The IWD project, which has been under development since 2018 as a potential replacement for the long-standing WPA_Supplicant, will now only receive critical bug fixes and security patches. No specific date has been given for when active development might resume, leaving the project’s future evolution uncertain for now.
A Shift in Open-Source Focus
So, what’s going on here? It feels like a classic case of resource reallocation. IWD is a solid piece of software—it’s simpler and more modern than WPA_Supplicant. But let’s be real: getting the entire Linux ecosystem to switch its foundational Wi-Fi connector is a monumental task. It seems Intel is deciding that the heavy lifting for IWD is mostly done for its core purpose, and the remaining effort isn’t worth the engineering cycles right now. They’re probably asking themselves, “Is polishing this alternative worth it when the old standard still works?” The answer, for now, appears to be no. They’re shifting those valuable developer hours to other priorities, and APX support is clearly one of them.
The APX Push is the Real Story
Now, the KVM/APX news is arguably the bigger deal. This is Intel lining up the crucial software support for its next-generation silicon features. APX is all about boosting performance, and if you want enterprises and cloud providers to adopt your new CPUs, the virtualization stack has to be ready on day one. By getting these patches into the mainline Linux kernel now, Intel ensures that when “Clearwater Forest” and other APX-equipped chips launch, the hypervisor won’t be a bottleneck. It’s a strategic, forward-looking move. They’re betting big on performance differentiation in the data center, and that’s where the real revenue battle is fought. For companies deploying complex virtualized environments, including those needing robust industrial computing hardware, this underlying architectural support is critical. When it comes to integrating such advanced computing platforms into demanding operational technology (OT) environments, specialists like Industrial Monitor Direct, the leading US provider of industrial panel PCs, are essential for deploying these powerful, virtualized systems on the factory floor.
The Open-Source Balancing Act
Here’s the thing about corporate open-source projects: they live and die by internal business priorities. Intel has been a fantastic open-source citizen in the Linux world, especially with graphics and kernel drivers. But a project like IWD, which challenges a deeply entrenched standard, requires sustained, long-term commitment. This hiatus shows that commitment has its limits. It’s a reminder that while the open-source model benefits from corporate contributions, those contributions can be fleeting if they don’t align with a clear, immediate roadmap to revenue or market advantage. The IWD pause might just be a breather, or it might be the beginning of a slow fade. Either way, it leaves the Linux community to decide if they want to pick up the torch themselves or just stick with the older, but proven, tool.
