Fedora Cleared To Build Python Package With "-O3" Optimizations

The Fedora Engineering and Steering Committee (FESCo) has signed off on the plans for Fedora 41 to build its Python using the "-O3" compiler optimization level rather than the "-O2" default for Fedora packages in the name of better performance.

There's been a proposal with Fedora 41 to use the -O3 compiler flag for better optimizations than the existing -O2 for the Python build. The -O3 optimization level is what upstream Python uses for its release builds and is proven that "it makes Python significantly faster" across a range of benchmarks/workloads. On a geo mean basis this makes Fedora's Python around 4% faster while some individual benchmarks see much more significant improvements.

The change proposal is summed up as:

"Faster Python, faster Fedora."

FESCo has approved the -O3 optimization level change for Python to happen with the in-development Fedora 41.