This release brings certified Ubuntu to Qualcomm Dragonwing QCS6490 and QCS5430 processors, accelerating time to market for ODMs/OEMs, unlocking optimized performance for edge AI solutions, and providing LTS support for enterprises to deploy AI at the edge confidently.

August 14, 2025 –  Canonical, the publisher of Ubuntu, today announced the general availability of certified Ubuntu Desktop and Server images on Qualcomm® Dragonwing™ QCS6490 and QCS5430 processors. This release follows a successful beta program and officially extends Canonical’s support to Qualcomm Dragonwing platforms, providing hardened security, LTS support, and maintenance to enterprises deploying edge AI solutions on the Qualcomm platform.

Powering the edge AI innovation ecosystem

Qualcomm Dragonwing processors are designed to deliver high-performance computing, advanced on-device AI capabilities, and superior connectivity, making them ideal for a wide array of industrial IoT, robotics, and edge AI use cases. The certified Ubuntu for Qualcomm Dragonwing processors accelerate the path for manufacturers to develop board designs that can be part of Canonical’s certified hardware program. The certified hardware program ensures that the hardware is production grade and can be deployed with full confidence wherever they need it.  

This strategic collaboration between Qualcomm Technologies and Canonical gives Original Design Manufacturers (ODMs), Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), enterprises, and developers a wide range of advantages:

Accelerated time to market: With official support and certified production images, ODMs and OEMs can significantly reduce development cycles and bring their Qualcomm Dragonwing-powered products to market faster, confident in the stability and compatibility of the software stack.

Optimized performance: The certified Ubuntu images are meticulously optimized to utilize the full potential of the Qualcomm Dragonwing QCS6490 and QCS5430 processors, ensuring peak performance for AI inference, complex workloads, and real-time operations at the edge.

Improved stability on certified hardware: Canonical’s rigorous certification process guarantees a stable, secure, and reliable operating environment, crucial for mission-critical industrial and enterprise deployments. 

Enterprise grade security compliance and support: Canonical’s commitment to providing periodic and timely fixes for critical vulnerabilities for up to 12 years through Ubuntu Pro ensures enterprises can remain compliant with the EU Cyber Resilience Act. Canonical’s ability to provide LTS support on certified Ubuntu ensures enterprises have a reliable long term partner to drive customer success.

Empowering developer innovation: Developers gain a familiar, powerful, and well-supported Linux environment to innovate faster, unleash new AI capabilities, and build sophisticated applications for enterprise and industrial edge use cases, from intelligent automation to advanced robotics.

Open source collaboration driving AI forward

“We are thrilled to see Canonical officially provide certified Ubuntu support for our Qualcomm Dragonwing platforms,” said Manvinder Singh, VP,  Product Management, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. “This collaboration simplifies development and deployment for our customers, enabling them to harness the immense potential of our QCS6490 and QCS5430 processors with a leading open source operating system. Developers can now prototype, test, and deploy edge AI solutions faster – utilizing Ubuntu’s tooling and Qualcomm Technologies’ high-performance processors to push the boundaries of intelligent edge innovation.”

Qualcomm Technologies’ drive for open source innovation perfectly aligns with Canonical’s mission to deliver enterprise-grade open source solutions, creating a powerful synergy for the AI era. This GA release is the first in the aligned software roadmap between Qualcomm Technologies and Canonical that makes Ubuntu a strong choice for commercial Linux deployments on Qualcomm Dragonwing processors.

“Our collaboration with Qualcomm Technologies ensures that developers and manufacturers can now deploy certified Ubuntu with confidence, utilizing the full power of Qualcomm Dragonwing processors to build security-focused, high-performance, and intelligent edge solutions that will define the next era of industrial automation and enterprise efficiency,” said Joe Dulin, VP of Canonical Worldwide Devices Sales.

Getting started

Enterprises and individual developers can now access the GA release of Ubuntu Desktop and Server images for Qualcomm Dragonwing 6490 and 5430 processors. 

To get started with Ubuntu for Qualcomm Dragonwing processors please visit our Qualcomm IoT download page.

These Ubuntu GA images are optimized for Qualcomm processors which ensures developers and enterprises can be confident about getting industry leading software and hardware experience on these platforms.

We invite developers, enterprises, and innovators across industries to explore the possibilities with Ubuntu GA images and utilize the immense potential of edge AI on Qualcomm Dragonwing processors.

If you have any questions about the platform or would like information about our certification program then simply contact us.

To learn more about Canonical’s commitment to support  leading silicon platforms, read about our silicon program. 

About Canonical 

Canonical, the publisher of Ubuntu, provides open source security, support, and services. Our portfolio covers critical systems, from the smallest devices to the largest clouds, from the kernel to containers, from databases to AI. With customers that include top tech brands, emerging startups, governments, and home users, Canonical delivers trusted open source for everyone. 

Learn more at https://canonical.com

Qualcomm branded products are products of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries. Qualcomm is a trademark or registered trademark of Qualcomm Incorporated.