OpenJDK Enhancement Proposal JEP 541 proposes to deprecate the macOS/x64 port, with the intent of removing it in a future release to reduce maintenance costs. Apple's transition to AArch64 processors and phasing out of x64 support means Oracle engineers will cease maintaining the macOS/x64 port starting with JDK 27.

Maintaining this port has become a significant burden. An attempt to configure a macOS/x64 build will now produce an error, indicating the port is deprecated and subject to removal. Users can suppress this error and continue with a warning by using the new configuration option `--enable-deprecated-ports`. However, there will be no guarantee of build success or functionality.

To avoid blocking mainline development, the macOS/x64 port will be disabled by default in the JDK repository's GitHub actions. Documentation will also reflect its deprecated status. An alternative to this deprecation would be for a group of credible developers to express a clear commitment to maintaining the port. Such a commitment, if made before integration, could lead to the withdrawal of this JEP; if made after integration but before removal, a follow-on JEP could revert the deprecation.