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QEMU 10.2.0, announced on 24 December 2025, added named PowerPC platform and firmware-dump support, described RISC-V changes broadly as emulation fixes and improvements, and called out a virtio-pci performance improvement for s390x using irqfd. The announcement does not give benchmark figures or promise compatibility with every guest setup. The official download page listed QEMU 10.2.4 and 11.1.2 on 4 October 2026, so 10.2.0 is a historical release announcement, not the latest-version recommendation.
What changed in QEMU 10.2.0?
The QEMU Project’s 10.2.0 announcement reports more than 2,300 commits from 188 authors. Its architecture highlights identify additions for PowerPC, a broad RISC-V summary, and an s390x virtio-pci improvement.
PowerPC: PowerNV11, PPE42, and pSeries FADUMP
The announcement names support for PowerNV11 and PPE42 CPU/machines, along with FADUMP support for pSeries. These are separate additions; the announcement does not provide details about their configuration or limitations.
PowerNV is a bare-metal Power platform that uses OPAL firmware. QEMU’s PowerNV documentation describes the platform and lists multiprocessor support through Power11, with XIVE2 for Power10 and Power11. That is current documentation, not a complete account of what specifically changed in QEMU 10.2.0.
#1 Best Overall
- Flexible MCU Board: Incorporate the ESP32-C3 32-bit RISC-V chip, operating up to 160 MHz, mounted multiple development ports,
- Developer Friendly: Compatible with Arduino IDE, MicroPython, CircuitPython, PlatformIO, ESP IDF, Zephyr, Matter, ESPNow, Meshtastic, WLED, ESPHome, Home Assistant, Ubidots
- Outstanding RF performance: Complete Wi-Fi functions and Bluetooth Low Energy, while supporting communication over 100m with anFL antenna
- Elaborate Power Design: 4 working modes as low as 44 μA in deep sleep mode, while supporting lithium battery charge management
- Thumb-sized Design: 21 x 17.5mm, Seeed Studio XIAO series classic form factor
RISC-V: broad emulation fixes and improvements
QEMU’s RISC-V highlight says “Numerous emulation fixes/improvements for various components.” It does not enumerate devices, extensions, boards, or measured performance gains, so the release announcement supports a broad summary rather than a feature-by-feature list.
s390x: virtio-pci improvements via irqfd
For s390x, QEMU calls out “virtio-pci performance improvements via irqfd.” The announcement identifies the area and mechanism but publishes no workload, benchmark, or numerical speedup. Treat this as a stated improvement, not a guarantee of a particular gain for every s390x guest.
Rank #2
- CH32V003 Development Minimum System Board for Nano RISC-V CH32V003F4U6 Chip TYPE-C USB 22Pin
- on-board 24MHz Crystal oscillator
- Power by TYPE-C USB
Does QEMU 10.2 support every guest using these architectures?
No blanket compatibility conclusion follows from the release highlights. QEMU provides system and user emulation for Power, RISC-V, and s390x, but the available emulation depends on the selected target and configuration. Its emulation documentation explains the distinction. Check the specific machine or CPU model and whether your workload needs one of the named changes; host, accelerator, and workload configuration also matter.
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Which QEMU version should you install?
As of 4 October 2026, QEMU’s official download page listed versions 10.2.4 and 11.1.2. Check that page and your Linux distribution’s package documentation for current availability and version details. QEMU is available as source for users to compile and is packaged by most Linux distributions; an installed distribution package may not match the release listed on the project site.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- Ample PSRAM Storage – The development board offers 8MB PSRAM, providing substantial extra memory for handling more complex tasks, large data buffers, and advanced processing.
- Enhanced Multi-Tasking Capability – With the additional 8MB PSRAM, the ESP32-C5-WIFI6-KIT can efficiently manage multiple protocol stacks simultaneously, ensuring smooth operation in multi-tasking IoT environments.
- Support for Medium-Load Applications – The 8MB PSRAM allows the ESP32-C5 to handle medium-load applications more effectively, making it ideal for scenarios requiring real-time data processing or continuous communication.
- Seamless Performance – The increased memory improves the overall performance and responsiveness of the device, particularly when running applications with larger memory footprints or more demanding computations.
- Future-Proof for Complex Projects – With 8MB of PSRAM, developers are better equipped to build scalable, high-performance solutions that support both current and future IoT use cases, offering flexibility for future-proofing designs.
Rank #4
- ESP32-C6 WiFi 6 microcontroller development board adopts ESP32-C6-WROOM-1-N8 module, which is equipped with RISC-V 32-bit single-core processor, up to 160MHz main frequency, built-in 8MB Flash
- Integrates WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5 and and IEEE 802.15.4 (Zigbee 3.0 and Thread) wireless communication, with superior RF performance
- Integrates rich peripherals including SPI, UART, I2C, I2S, LED PWM, SDIO and other interfaces, compatible with the pinout of ESP32-C6-DevKitC-1-N8 development board, more convenient to use and expand a variety of peripheral modules
- Onboard CH343 and CH334 USB HUB chips, supports USB and UART development at the same time via a USB-C port
- Comes with online examples and tutorials for ESP-IDF development environment
Rank #3
- The ESP32-C3 SUPERMINI is positioned as a high-performance, low-power, cost-effective IoT mini development board, suitable for low-power IoT applications and wireless wearable applications
- It is equipped with a rich set of interfaces, including 11 digital I/Os that can be used as PWM pins and 4 analog I/Os that can be used as ADC pins.
- It supports four serial interfaces, including UART, I2C, and SPI.
- The ESP32-C3 features a 32-bit RISC-V CPU, including an FPU (Floating Point Unit) capable of 32-bit single-precision
- Package: 2PCS ESP32-C3 MINI Development Board ESP32 SuperMini ESP32 C3 WiFi Module
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