Ubuntu 25.04, codenamed #PluckyPuffin, has officially landed, and it's packed with enhancements that developers, enthusiasts, and everyday users will love! Canonical’s latest interim release brings a bold blend of performance, innovation, and user experience improvements, solidifying Ubuntu as a go-to OS for desktop and development needs.
🖥️ What’s New in Ubuntu 25.04 “Plucky Puffin”?
Let’s dive into the highlights of this feature-packed release:
🌐 GNOME 48 – A Fresh Desktop Experience
Ubuntu 25.04 ships with GNOME 48, bringing a sleeker and more responsive desktop environment. Key new features include:
- Triple buffering for smoother performance
- HDR support out of the box
- Battery Health Mode to prolong battery life
- Wellbeing Panel for screen time tracking
Thanks to Canonical’s contributions, triple buffering patches are now upstream in GNOME – improving UX across all GNOME desktops.
🔧 Developer-Centric Features
Plucky Puffin introduces “devpacks” – snap bundles of cutting-edge developer tools, starting with:
- Spring Framework Devpack – Includes Spring Framework 6.1/6.2 and Spring Boot 3.3/3.4
- Snap-based tooling for Python, Golang, Rust, LLVM, OpenJDK, GCC, and more
- Early access to OpenJDK 24ea/25ea and GCC 15
Ubuntu continues to prioritize developer happiness with modern toolchains and packaging convenience.
🤖 AI & GPU Performance Boosts
This release brings serious performance gains for AI workloads and GPU rendering:
- Enhanced support for Intel Arc GPUs and Intel Core Ultra 200V Series
- GPU-based ray tracing acceleration in apps like Blender (v4.2+)
- Hardware-accelerated video encoding for AVC, HEVC, JPEG, and AV1
- Expanded Intel Compute Runtime support with debugging tools for Intel Xe GPUs
Ubuntu 25.04 is a strong platform for developers building graphics-heavy or AI-accelerated applications.
🔐 Confidential Computing Now for On-Premise
Canonical’s investment in confidential computing continues, now supporting:
- AMD SEV-SNP for on-premises deployments (previously cloud-only)
- Secure workload isolation using QEMU 9.2
- Built-in protection for runtime data via Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs)
This adds a powerful layer of hardware-based security for sensitive enterprise workloads.
📦 Hardware & Installation Improvements
- New ARM64 Desktop ISO – Easier Ubuntu installs on ARM-based laptops and VMs
- Improved installer with better BitLocker integration and advanced partitioning
- Experimental support for Dracut (replacing initramfs-tools)
- Faster boot experience across more systems
Also included: Netplan and systemd-networkd wait-online for better online status detection.
🆕 New Default PDF Reader – "Papers"
Ubuntu 25.04 debuts “Papers” as the new default PDF reader, replacing the aging Evince. It’s:
- Sleeker
- Faster
- More modern
- User-friendly
Plus, Ubuntu now uses BeaconDB as its geolocation provider after Mozilla’s service retirement, improving features like timezone detection and night light.
🧰 Kernel, Networking & Admin Tools
Powered by Linux Kernel 6.14, this release includes:
- sched_ext: Custom eBPF-based Linux scheduler support
- NTSYNC driver: Better performance for Windows games on Wine/Proton
- Tools like bpftools and linux-perf now shipped independently
- Support for NTS-enabled time servers
- Better Active Directory support with updates to ADSys
- Expanded Google IAM support in Ubuntu’s Authd service
- New Wi-Fi protocols and backend routing policies in NetworkManager
💬 Canonical’s Commitment
“Plucky Puffin combines the very latest in open source desktop technology with a focus on making high quality developer tooling readily available on Ubuntu.”
— Jon Seager, VP of Ubuntu Engineering at Canonical
“Ubuntu’s new ARM64 ISO paves the way for future Snapdragon enablement, enabling us to drive AI innovation and adoption together.”
— Leendert van Doorn, SVP, Qualcomm Technologies
“We’re proud to collaborate with Canonical to extend secure, scalable solutions across enterprise infrastructure.”
— AMD Confidential Computing Team
🐦 Ubuntu 25.04, codenamed #PluckyPuffin, is now available to download and install!
— Ubuntu (@ubuntu) April 17, 2025
This daring seabird brings the latest GNOME 48 desktop, enhanced performance for AI and Intel GPUs, confidential computing support, a new ARM64 ISO, and developer-friendly "devpacks" for top… pic.twitter.com/wuLKeM0hb8
Ubuntu 25.04 “Plucky Puffin” is a powerful step forward for developers, gamers, and privacy-focused users alike. Whether you’re exploring GNOME 48, building apps with Spring, or running AI models on cutting-edge GPUs, this update delivers something exciting for everyone.
🔥 Ready to try it out? Download it today:
👉 https://ubuntu.com/download/desktop
