Ubuntu Linux is now running on M1 Macs

• The 2020, M1-equipped Mac mini. [credit:
  Samuel Axon ]

For the first time, users of Apple Silicon Macs using Apple’s M1 chip—such as the entry-level 13-inch MacBook Pro, Mac mini, and MacBook Air—can now boot in to and natively run Linux.

The vintage at play here is Ubuntu, and the port was developed by Corellium, which otherwise virtualizes iOS and other ARM-based OSes to enable easier security testing. It’s worth noting as well that Apple has previously sued the company over said iOS security testing tool. The lawsuit didn’t go Apple’s way.

Corellium Chief Technology Office Chris Wade announced the culmination of the team’s work on Twitter yesterday. And in a blog post on Corellium’s website, the team behind the port writes that it was developed in parallel with the group’s efforts at “creating a model of the [M1] for our security research part.”