● Covered by 1 source · 3 reportsMedium impact3 neutral
JDK 28 Targets New Features, JDK 27 Release Candidate Delayed
Key points
- JEP 539 (Strict Field Initialization) targeted for JDK 28.
- JEP 401 (Value Objects) targeted for JDK 28.
- JEP 535 (Shenandoah GC: Generational Mode by Default) targeted for JDK 28.
- JDK 27 release candidate delayed to August 20, 2026.
- Oracle released July 2026 Critical Patch Update.
JDK 28 Feature Advancements
Three significant Java Enhancement Proposals (JEPs) have been targeted for inclusion in JDK 28. JEP 539, "Strict Field Initialization in the JVM (Preview)," introduces strictly-initialized fields that must be initialized before being read, preventing default values like 0 or null from being observed. This feature is intended for use by compilers that emit class files.
JEP 401, "Value Objects (Preview)," proposes to enhance the Java language with value objects. These objects are defined by having only final fields, no identity, and being distinguished solely by the values of their respective fields. This JEP was formerly known as "Object Classes and Values (Preview)."
JEP 535, "Shenandoah GC: Generational Mode by Default," designates the Shenandoah Garbage Collector to operate in generational mode by default. The non-generational mode will be deprecated with the intention of removing it in a future release.
JDK 27 Release Candidate Postponed
The initial release candidate for JDK 27, originally scheduled for August 6, 2026, has been delayed by two weeks and is now set for August 20, 2026. Mark Reinhold, Chief Architect of the Java Platform Group at Oracle, announced this change to align with the August 18, 2026, Critical Patch Update (CPU).
Build 34 of the JDK 27 early-access builds was released, including fixes from Build 33.
Other Java Updates
Oracle released its July 2026 Critical Patch Update, which includes updates for multiple JDK versions. Additionally, JEP 540, "Simple JSON API (Incubator)," and JEP 541, "Deprecate the macOS/x64 Port for Removal," have moved to Candidate status for JDK 28.
Other releases include Embabel 1.0, Azul Payara 7.2.0, and Helidon 4.5.1. The sixth release candidate of Maven 4.0 and the first milestone release of Jakarta Agentic AI 1.0 were also noted.
✨ This summary was generated by AI from the outlets' reporting listed below. It is not independently verified and may contain errors — check the original sources. How BrevFeed works →
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Primary sources
GitHub openjdk/jdk GitHub embabel/embabel-agent GitHub payara/Payara GitHub helidon-io/helidon CVE CVE-2024-93429.8 CRITICAL GitHub junit-team/junit-frameworkHow outlets covered it
The initial release candidate for JDK 27 has been delayed by two weeks to August 20, 2026, to align with a Critical Patch Update. Additionally, JEP 535, which makes Shenandoah GC's generational mode the default, is now targeted for JDK 28.
Several OpenJDK Enhancement Proposals (JEPs) have advanced in status for JDK 28, including JEP 539 for Strict Field Initialization and JEP 401 for Value Objects, both now targeted for the release. JEP 535, Shenandoah GC: Generational Mode by Default, is also proposed to target JDK 28, indicating upcoming changes to Java's core language features and garbage collection. These updates introduce new capabilities and performance improvements for Java developers.
Several Java Enhancement Proposals (JEPs) for JDK 28 have advanced, including Strict Field Initialization and Value Objects, while a Simple JSON API and the deprecation of the macOS/x64 port moved to Candidate status. Oracle also released its July 2026 Critical Patch Update for multiple JDK versions and announced more frequent CPU releases.