GitHub-owned ARM64 runner images (parity with x64)

[tiagoliveira9]

Why are you starting this discussion?

Product Feedback

What GitHub Actions topic or product is this about?

Actions Runner Image

Discussion Details

Summary

Currently, ARM64 runners only offer Partner images (maintained by Arm Limited), while x64 runners have both GitHub-owned and Partner options. Requesting GitHub-owned ARM images with the same update cadence and tooling as x64.

Current Limitations

Issue	Impact
No GitHub-owned ARM images	Only Partner images available for ARM64 larger runners
Quarterly updates (vs bi-weekly for x64)	Tools often outdated (e.g., Rust 2+ versions behind)
No SLA coverage	Partner images excluded from Actions SLA
No open-source build scripts	Can't replicate config for self-hosted ARM runners

Why This Matters

Teams on Team/Enterprise plans using larger ARM64 runners for native ARM builds expect the same reliability, update frequency, and tooling parity they get with x64 GitHub-owned images.

Proposal

1. GitHub-owned ARM64 Ubuntu images alongside Partner images
2. Open-source Packer/build scripts for ARM64 (like x64 has)
3. Same ~bi-weekly update cadence as x64
4. SLA coverage for GitHub-owned ARM images

Related

• partner-runner-images#146 - Request for ARM build formulas
• partner-runner-images#133 - Outdated tools on ARM vs x64
• runner-images#10820 - Original ARM for OSS request

Screenshot

[github-actions[bot]]

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