Espressif now lets you run Linux off an ESP32-S31

Credit: Espressif Published Nov 11, 2026, 1:04 PM EST Simon is a Computer Science BSc graduate who has been writing about technology since 2014, and using Windows machines since 3.1. After working for an indie game studio and acting as the family's go-to technician for all computer issues, he found his passion for writing and decided to use his skill set to write about all things tech. Since beginning his writing career, he has written for many different publications such as WorldStart, Listverse, and MakeTechEasier. However, after finding his home at MakeUseOf in February 2019, he would eventually move on to its sister site, XDA, to bring the latest and greatest in Windows, Linux, and DIY electronics. Sign in to your XDA account Summary Espressif BSP lets the ESP32-S31 run a full Linux kernel on a dual-core RISC-V 320MHz CPU with an MMU. It's experimental: S31-only, unstable, and there's no solid update plan, so don't use it on production or critical devices. Try it via the GitHub repo, but expect breaking changes and delayed or limited bug responses from Espressif. A few months ago, Espressif released the ESP32-S31 development board. It was pretty powerful and came at a good price, and by itself, it already looked like a tidy package. Now, it seems Espressif is making it even better. The company has released a package for the ESP32-S31 that lets it run Linux, and you can give it a try right now Espressif unlocks Linux on your ESP32-S31 It's still an experiment for now Credit: Espressif As spotted by our sister site MakeUseOf, Espressif has released a new Board Support Package (BSP) that allows the ESP32-S31 to run Linux. The best part is, this isn't a watered-down version of the OS; this is a fully-fledged copy of the kernel. It can do this because it uses a dual-core 32-bit RISC-V processor at 320 MHz, alongside a Memory Management Unit (MMU) that supports standard RISC-V Machine, Supervisor, and User privilege modes. There are a few caveats to consider before giving this BSP a try. First, it only runs on the ESP32-S31. Second, there is no solid update plan for it right now, and breaking changes can occur at any time. Finally, the entire project is an experiment for now, so you should definitely not deploy this on production boards or anything you really don't want crashing at a bad time. However, if you have an ESP32-S31 sitting around and you want to give it a spin, you can check out all the details over on the GitHub repo. While Espressif does state it won't respond to bug reports immediately, you can still do your part and mention anything you notice go wrong.