Intel officially 'closes' Clear Linux OS

Clear Linux OS is a Linux distribution maintained by Intel itself. It is not a general-purpose operating system, but rather focuses almost exclusively on specialized activities such as cloud computing, distributed computing, and DevOps. The distro is unique in that it is optimized for Intel hardware - while still improving performance on AMD. Despite its popularity with the target community, Intel decided to kill the Clear Linux OS project after years of poor performance.

In a forum thread, the Clear Linux OS team announced: Intel will be ending support for the project effective immediately. This means:

1. No more security updates or patches for the operating system
2. The project's GitHub repository will soon go read-only
   Intel recommends users switch to any actively maintained Linux distribution.

No specific reason was given, but the decision is likely a cost-cutting measure. Intel recently announced layoffs affecting 5,000 employees, admitting that it was 'too far behind in the AI race' to catch up. Clear Linux OS may be being phased out to improve its finances, though it's unclear whether the development team will be affected.

Intel emphasized that despite the project's closure, it remains fully committed to the Linux ecosystem, continuing to support open source projects and third-party distros. Its efforts will focus on its core area: improving Linux software performance on Intel hardware.

The community response has been sympathetic and supportive, with many expressing gratitude to the Clear Linux OS team for maintaining the project for over a decade. The question remains: which distro will Clear Linux OS users migrate to next?

Samuel Daniel

Update 21 July 2025