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XAIOS

XAIOS is a freestanding Unix-like operating system for dedicated AI and high-performance server workloads. It boots on AArch64, x86_64 and RISC-V under QEMU, provides a native kernel/userspace ABI, persistent filesystems, IPv4/IPv6, OpenSSH-compatible SSH/SFTP, local and remote shells, administration controls, and a portable inference-engine foundation.

XAIOS is not Linux or FreeBSD and does not run their binaries. FreeBSD is the primary Unix behavior reference for commands and network interoperability.

Use XAIOS

0. Take a released build from the releases page — currently build 5 — or build one from source. Which download to take, and what is in each, is in Getting Started.
1. Follow Getting Started to build and boot an image.
2. Read Boot and Console for startup and local login.
3. Connect through Networking and SSH.
4. Use the shell surface in Commands and executable programs in Applications.
5. Manage the system through Administration.
6. Install signed applications through xapt Package Updates.

Implemented OS surface

• AArch64 and x86_64 UEFI boot under QEMU.
• Runtime-sized CPU, cpuset, scheduler, NUMA, and process metadata.
• EL0 processes and threads with capability-checked syscalls.
• VirtIO block/network/RNG plus focused emulated NVMe and SMMUv3 gates.
• xaibootFS for bounded writable state and xaiFS for immutable model data.
• IPv4, IPv6, TCP, UDP, DNS, reassembly, and SACK-aware transport behavior.
• First-boot setup on a machine that has no account: run from the medium or install onto a disk, then an account name and password, an optional six digit console PIN, the machine's name, and whether the console logs in automatically.
• Concurrent SSH sessions, SFTP, outbound SSH/SCP, and authenticated local console sessions — from a credential the machine was set up with, or one a development image packaged.
• FreeBSD-style command behavior, archive exchange, nano, less, and terminal Pong.
• Typed xaiosctl administration for status, configuration, identity, audit, storage, and model-package lifecycle operations.
• Signed xapt catalogs, independent application activation and rollback, and streamed A/B OS updates.

Evidence boundary

The ARM and x86_64 QEMU core-OS correctness gates pass. QEMU proves boot, protocol, ABI, and deterministic behavior; it does not prove physical hardware performance, production security, or real-model inference. No real Qwen, Kimi, or DeepSeek checkpoint has passed end-to-end token and logits parity.

See Current Limitations for explicit non-claims and the single Project Tracker for remaining work.

Documentation

Operate the OS

• Getting Started
• Boot and Console
• Applications
• Commands
• Filesystem and Storage
• Networking and SSH
• Administration
• xapt Package Updates

Understand and validate it

• Hardware Support
• RISC-V
• Architecture
• Security Model
• Unix Compatibility
• ISO C99 Library
• Testing XAIOS
• VMware Fusion
• Virtualization Framework
• Current Limitations
• FAQ
• Project Tracker

Repository reference documents

The Wiki is the human-readable entry point. Detailed versioned specifications and API contracts remain in the source repository:

• Getting started
• xaiosctl reference
• Control protocol
• Model-v2 specification
• Architecture adapters
• Hardware backends
• Portable engine service
• Benchmark contract
• OS architecture
• Syscall and userspace API
• Network and SSH status
• Unix compatibility boundary
• Storage architecture
• xaiFS format
• xaiFS recovery
• Storage tools
• Large-model upload
• Storage security
• Storage benchmarking
• Hardware readiness contract
• VMware Fusion details
• Virtualization.framework harness
• Complete test inventory

Source repository | API reference | License