JDK 25 - JEP 503: Remove the 32-bit x86 Port

Abstract

JDK 25 - JEP 503: Remove the 32-bit x86 Port. JEP 503 does not introduce any new language features. The JEP specifies Java will no longer support 32-bit hardware. The cost of maintaining a 32-bit port of Java is very costly with little benefit since 32-bit is no longer prevalent.

Pure Speculation

In 1996, the Nintendo 64 game console was released. This was the first big “64-bit” thing that I remember. As of this writing (2025), that was 29 years ago. So, maybe in the year 2054, There will be a JEP to remove support for the 64-bit x86 port in favor of continued development of the Quantum port (pure speculation)!

Nintendo 64

References

Shipilev, A. (2024, November 28). JEP 503: Remove the 32-bit x86 Port. https://openjdk.org/jeps/503.