What’s New in Java 24? AI‑Ready Features, Post‑Quantum Security, and More

Oracle announced the official release of Java 24, adding several new features such as the Stream Gatherers API, the availability of the Class‑File API, and brand‑new capabilities designed for AI inference and quantum‑secure computing.

This version’s key component is support for AI development. Integrating AI into development environments is becoming increasingly important. Java 24 responds with features like the Vector API, which provides exceptional performance for the vector calculations frequently used in AI inference. However, this remains in an incubating state until the Valhalla project arrives.

Oracle also introduced important security features in the post‑quantum cryptography domain. Java 24 includes implementations of the module‑lattice‑based key‑encapsulation mechanism (ML‑KEM) and the module‑lattice‑based digital signature algorithm (ML‑DSA).

During the Java 24 briefing, Oracle’s Vice President of Product Management Donald Smith discussed preparations for post‑quantum cryptography. He said, “We have not reached a consensus on when quantum computers will appear, but we need to plan for deprecating traditional schemes.” He cited the rollout of TLS 1.3 as a precedent, noting that TLS 1.3 was introduced in 2018, while Java 8 debuted in 2014, and that the new mechanisms can be back‑ported.

Oracle plans to adopt a similar approach for post‑quantum support.

Improvements for Developers

Java 24 also brings several enhancements to the language itself.

Among them is JEP 488, which supports primitive types, instanceof, and switch in pattern matching, making the language more uniform and expressive—especially useful for developers building AI‑inference applications.

For novice programmers, Java 24 introduces JEP 495, allowing students and hobbyists to write their first programs without needing to understand complex language features, aligning with the trend of making programming more accessible, as seen in AI‑driven coding tools.

Oracle also listened to developer complaints about excessive boilerplate for a simple “Hello World” program. Java 24 has addressed this issue.

Java Adoption and Usage

Recent research shows Java continues to dominate the software development landscape.

According to a recent Java productivity report, over 75% of developers use AI tools while coding, which aligns with the AI‑centric new features in Java 24.

The new version highlights that Java, celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, continues to evolve to meet developers’ changing needs. Java 24 was released during the JavaOne conference held from March 18‑20, the first time Oracle gave Java its own dedicated stage. The conference is part of larger events such as CloudWorld.

In addition to the near‑30‑year anniversary of Java’s birth, this year also marks the seventh anniversary of Oracle Java SE. Through the Java Universal SE Subscription, Oracle provides customers with support for the entire Java portfolio, including access to advanced features of Oracle GraalVM and Java Management Services.

According to Oracle’s Senior Vice President of Software Development Georges Saab, Java 24 is an excellent time to enter the field. The next version, Java 25, will be released in September 2025 and will be an LTS release.

Therefore, the features introduced in Java 24 will soon receive long‑term support.

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