Anaconda is updating the minimum CPU requirements for Linux x86-64 packages to improve performance. We also recommend that Windows x86-64 users verify their systems support x86-64-v2 for reliable package compatibility.

What’s Changing

Starting May 1, 2026, Anaconda will begin transitioning the linux-64 platform to require processors that support the x86-64-v2 microarchitecture level as the baseline. The current x86-64-v1 baseline lacks instruction sets necessary for optimal performance in modern scientific computing and data analysis workloads. Important: Previously published packages will remain available in the repository and continue to work the same as they did before with older hardware. This change affects new package builds going forward—individual packages will begin to transition to the v2 baseline as they are rebuilt after May 1, 2026.

Windows Users

This change does not affect Windows packages directly. However, we recommend using systems with x86-64-v2 support for reliable compatibility with Anaconda packages. Unlike Linux, where Anaconda can directly set a CPU baseline through our default compiler configuration, Windows packages built using the standard Visual Studio compiler default to SSE2, though individual packages may specify higher requirements based on their upstream configurations. Some Windows packages already require x86-64-v2 capabilities. Additionally, all processors officially supported by Windows 11 already include x86-64-v2 instruction support.

Who’s Affected

Most users are not affected by this change. If you purchased a standard Intel- or AMD-branded desktop, laptop, or server in the last 10 years, your system supports x86-64-v2. This change impacts systems running processors released before 2011 that lack x86-64-v2 support, specifically:
  • Intel Core 2 series (2006-2010) and earlier
  • AMD Phenom and Athlon II series (K10 architecture, 2007-2011) and earlier

Compatible Processors

The following processor families fully support x86-64-v2, although this list is not comprehensive:
Vendor Processor Family Year Introduced
Intel Core i3/i5/i7 (2nd gen and newer) 2011+
Intel Xeon E3/E5/E7 v2 and newer 2012+
Intel Pentium/Celeron 2011+
AMD Ryzen (all generations) 2017+
AMD EPYC (all generations) 2017+
Note: Intel Atom processors and some AMD Athlon- and FX-branded processors may not support x86-64-v2. Use the verification commands below if you’re running these processor types.

How to Check Your System

Linux Systems

You can verify whether your processor supports x86-64-v2 by checking for the required CPU flags: Check for SSE4.2 support (simplest method) 
lscpu | grep sse4_2
If this command returns results showing the sse4_2 flag, your processor supports x86-64-v2. Absence of output indicates incompatibility. Examine all CPU flags (comprehensive method) 
grep flags /proc/cpuinfo | head -n1
For x86-64-v2 support, verify your CPU includes these flags: cx16, lahf_lm, popcnt, sse4_1, sse4_2, and ssse3.

Windows Systems

You can check your processor model and verify it against the x86-64-v2 requirements: Check processor information 
wmic cpu get name
Or use System Information:
  1. Press Win + R, type msinfo32, and press Enter
  2. Look for “Processor” in the System Summary
Processors from Intel Sandy Bridge (2011, 2nd generation Core i3/i5/i7) and AMD Bulldozer (2011) onward support x86-64-v2. If your processor is older than 2011, it may lack the required instruction sets.

macOS Systems

macOS systems are not affected by this change. All Apple Silicon (M1 and newer) processors meet Anaconda’s requirements for the osx-arm64 platform. Note: Anaconda discontinued support for Intel-based macOS (osx-64) in August 2025. For more information, see our Intel Mac Package Support Deprecation announcement.

Why We’re Making This Change

The x86-64-v1 baseline prevents our Linux packages from utilizing instruction sets that are now standard across modern processors and essential for computational performance. Without x86-64-v2 support, packages cannot leverage certain vector processing capabilities (SSSE3 and SSE4.2) required for efficient numerical computation, POPCNT for optimized data analysis and bit operations, or CMPXCHG16B for reliable concurrent algorithms. Maintaining the outdated baseline means packages like NumPy, SciPy, pandas, machine learning libraries, and data visualization tools cannot perform at the levels our users require for modern scientific computing and data-intensive workflows. Moving to x86-64-v2 enables our Linux packages to deliver the performance and capabilities that contemporary computational workloads demand.

Industry Context

This transition aligns with broader industry standards. Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 (released 2021) and openSUSE Tumbleweed (transitioned Q1 2023) both adopted x86-64-v2 as their minimum requirement. The x86-64-v2 level was collaboratively defined in 2020 by multiple industry leaders specifically to balance performance gains with hardware compatibility. Both distributions evaluated x86-64-v3 (which includes AVX instructions) but determined it would exclude too many systems still in production use. The x86-64-v2 level represents the optimal balance between enabling meaningful performance improvements while maintaining compatibility with the most widely used hardware.

Timeline

  • May 1, 2026: Anaconda begins transitioning linux-64 to x86-64-v2 baseline
  • Ongoing: Previously published packages remain available and functional

Questions?

For technical questions about this transition or to verify your system’s compatibility, please visit our community forums or contact our support team.