This project is designed to be cross-compiled from any host OS, including Apple Silicon Macs, and can be tested immediately using QEMU. Because Zig bundles its own LLVM backend and linker, cross-compilation to the x86-freestanding-none target works out of the box.
Minimal x86 Kernel Written Solely in Zig Released, VGA Output with Zero Assembly
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Docker is required to build the GRUB ISO, as grub-pc-bin is an x86 Linux package. Meanwhile, building the kernel itself and booting it in QEMU can be easily completed using the zig build command and execution scripts.
Regarding technical details, the Multiboot header is exported to a linker section as a Zig extern struct. For VGA output, the kernel accesses memory-mapped I/O directly using Zig's volatile pointer semantics. No BIOS calls or drivers are required.
Furthermore, the System V ABI red zone, which could be corrupted by hardware interrupts, has been disabled. SSE/AVX are also disabled to eliminate the need for saving and restoring FPU states.
Source: Minimal x86 Kernel Zig (HN 155pt, 66 comments) (HN Search (backfill), 2026-02-18)