What Is JetPack 6?

JetPack 6 is the release line of NVIDIA’s Jetson software development kit built for the Jetson Orin family. Every JetPack 6 release pairs Jetson Linux 36, the board support package with the bootloader, kernel and drivers, with a set of AI and media libraries: CUDA, cuDNN, TensorRT, VPI and the multimedia APIs.

It sits between two other lines. JetPack 5 runs Ubuntu 20.04 and covers both Xavier and Orin modules. JetPack 7 moves to Ubuntu 24.04 and was introduced with Jetson Thor. JetPack 6 is the Ubuntu 22.04 line, and it is the one most Orin products have been developed and validated on.

This page covers what is specific to the 6.x releases. Our guide to the NVIDIA JetPack software stack explains the components that every JetPack version shares.

NVIDIA described JetPack 6 as its largest Jetson software change. The main differences for anyone moving a product across are these.

Three main releases make up the line. Point releases after them carry fixes, so always read NVIDIA’s release notes for the exact build before you fix a version.

Because of the upgradeable compute stack, NVIDIA documents how to run the newer libraries on an earlier Jetson Linux 36 release. That lets a fielded system pick up a TensorRT update without a full reflash, provided the carrier board vendor supports it. CUDA and TensorRT versions still matter for your models, because an engine built for one TensorRT version has to be rebuilt for another.

Moving from JetPack 5 to JetPack 6 is a reflash, not a package update. NVIDIA does not support an apt upgrade across the two lines, because the kernel, bootloader and root file system all change. The usual routes are NVIDIA SDK Manager or the flashing tools in Jetson Linux, and for fleets NVIDIA provides an over-the-air update tool for Orin devices coming from JetPack 5.

On a production carrier, the carrier vendor’s board support package has to support Jetson Linux 36 first. The kernel, device tree and drivers for that carrier are part of Linux for Tegra, so a JetPack 6 image from NVIDIA alone may not bring up every camera or serial port. Containers need the same care: an image built on a Jetson Linux 35 base will not run correctly on a JetPack 6 system.

Orin Nano developer kits shipped from the factory with firmware for JetPack 5, so they need a firmware update before booting a JetPack 6 SD card image.

Much of the Jetson software that sits above JetPack is released against a particular JetPack line, so the JetPack version decides which framework releases you can use.

JetPack 7 runs Jetson Linux 38 on Ubuntu 24.04. It launched for Jetson Thor, and later 7.x releases extend support to Orin modules. For a new Orin design that choice is worth making early, because it fixes the Ubuntu release and library versions you validate against. Check NVIDIA’s Jetson software roadmap for how long each line will receive security updates, and record the exact JetPack and carrier support package versions in your build documentation.

For an Orin product already validated on JetPack 6, staying on the 6.x line is often the lower-risk path until the carrier vendor and your application are ready to move. Our Jetson Orin systems and rugged Jetson computers list the module in each system, which tells you which JetPack lines it can run.

We supply Jetson Orin systems with the JetPack release, the carrier board support package and your application image fitted and tested as standard.