Java 26 arrives with a smaller feature set focused on building a solid foundation for future releases, particularly Project Valhalla. The release includes 11 JEPs covering everything from garbage collection improvements to HTTP/3 support and structured concurrency. Oracle positions this as preparation work for Valhalla's first features, expected later this year.

Key technical additions include JEP 516 for ahead-of-time object caching that now works across all garbage collectors, not just specific ones. This eliminates startup delays by caching Java objects in a GC-agnostic format using logical indices instead of memory addresses. JEP 522 improves G1 garbage collector performance by introducing a second card table to reduce synchronization between application and GC threads.

Other highlights include HTTP/3 support for the HTTP Client API, enhanced G1 GC throughput through reduced synchronization, and the eleventh incubator release of the Vector API. The structured concurrency API reaches its sixth preview, while several security and core library improvements round out the release. These changes suggest Java 26 is laying groundwork for Valhalla's value types and primitives, with JEPs 500 and 529 specifically preparing for those capabilities.