# Ubuntu splits firmware packages to isolate HWE kernel updates from GA kernel users

> **Key takeaway:** Ubuntu will introduce a linux-firmware-hwe package to prevent firmware updates intended for newer HWE kernels from causing regressions on systems running older GA kernels.

**Published:** 2026-10-27T23:15:24+00:00 
**Source:** OMG! Ubuntu 
**Category:** distro-news 
**Canonical URL:** https://fosswire.org/news/ubuntu-splits-firmware-packages-to-isolate-hwe-kernel-update.html 

## Summary
Canonical is restructuring how Linux firmware is packaged in Ubuntu to eliminate cross-kernel compatibility issues on long-term support releases. Currently, both the General Availability (GA) kernel and the Hardware Enablement (HWE) kernel share a single firmware package, which has caused problems when newer firmware intended for HWE kernels breaks functionality on older GA kernels. Ubuntu developer Juerg Haefliger cited a concrete example where a firmware backport for Ubuntu 24.04 LTS's Linux 7.0 HWE kernel introduced two AMD regressions for users still running the Linux 6.9 GA kernel.

The solution involves creating a linux-firmware-hwe package that pulls in HWE-specific versions of firmware subpackages, while GA kernel users continue receiving only the standard firmware set. Both tracks will still receive targeted fixes from Canonical throughout their support lifecycles. The packaging change is already underway for Ubuntu 26.10 and will be backported to Ubuntu 26.04 in early 2027. A complication remains for systems with both kernels installed, as only one firmware package can be active at a time, requiring a yet-to-be-determined workaround.

## Firmware packaging architecture and kernel isolation
- **Split package structure:** Ubuntu 24.04 already divided firmware into subpackages, and the new linux-firmware-hwe package will build on this to create parallel firmware tracks for HWE and GA kernels.
- **Concrete regression case:** A firmware backport for Ubuntu 24.04 LTS's Linux 7.0 HWE kernel caused two AMD-specific regressions when loaded on systems running the Linux 6.9 GA kernel, demonstrating the failure mode this change addresses.
- **Dual support commitment:** Both firmware sets will continue receiving targeted fixes from Canonical for their full respective support periods, not abandoning GA kernel users.
- **Co-installation problem:** Systems with both GA and HWE kernels present—common on LTS releases during transition periods—cannot simultaneously install both firmware packages, requiring a workaround that remains unspecified.
- **Release timeline:** Firmware packages in Ubuntu 26.10 are being prepared as 'hwe' versions now, with backporting to Ubuntu 26.04 scheduled for early 2027.

## Why it matters
This change matters for Ubuntu LTS users in enterprise, cloud, and workstation deployments where kernel stability is prioritized over hardware enablement, as it closes a vector for unexpected firmware regressions. For system administrators managing fleets of Ubuntu machines, the split reduces the risk that enabling HWE on some systems will destabilize others running GA kernels, though the co-installation edge case will require attention in mixed-kernel environments.