CIQ Launches C3, a Free and Open Compatibility Catalog for Rocky Linux

The Rocky Linux ecosystem now has a single, authoritative destination to verify and publish hardware, software and AI infrastructure compatibility with RLC Pro, RLC Pro AI and RLC Pro Hardened, so enterprise teams can deploy with confidence, backed by vendor validation

RENO, Nev., April 2, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- CIQ, the founding support and services partner of Rocky Linux, today announced C3 (CIQ Compatibility Catalog), a free, publicly accessible resource where anyone in the Rocky Linux ecosystem, from hardware vendors, ISVs and AI platform providers to developers, hobbyists and community contributors, can verify and publish compatibility with Rocky Linux, RLC Pro, RLC Pro AI and RLC Pro Hardened.

Rocky Linux has become one of the most widely deployed Enterprise Linux distributions in the world, and CIQ's RLC Pro portfolio, including RLC Pro, RLC Pro AI and RLC Pro Hardened, extends that foundation with capabilities that go well beyond a standard distribution. Vendors and enterprise customers deploying these products need to know their hardware, software and AI infrastructure stacks are specifically compatible with them, not just with a generic Enterprise Linux baseline. For enterprise IT and procurement teams, C3 is that reference.

C3 offers three levels of compatibility assurance. Community Compatibility is the entry point, open to anyone in the Rocky Linux ecosystem at no cost, where vendors self-attest and publish their compatibility findings to the public catalog. Vendor Verified provides a structured validation path for ISVs, hardware vendors and AI platform providers that need a higher level of documented assurance. CIQ Certified is the highest tier, for organizations and vendors that need formal certification.

"Before you purchase your hardware, you need to know your operating system supports it," said Arthur Tyde, SVP of business development at CIQ and board chair of the Open Enterprise Linux Association (OpenELA). "C3 gives the entire ecosystem a fast, low-friction way to answer it, starting with Community Compatibility at no cost, and scaling to CIQ Certified for those who need the highest level of assurance."

C3 complements CIQ's full Rocky Linux portfolio. Organizations deploying RLC Pro, RLC Pro AI or RLC Pro Hardened each bring different infrastructure requirements: Enterprise Linux with long-term support and legal indemnification, AI and HPC workloads demanding throughput and GPU optimization, or security-intensive environments where the cryptographic posture of the OS is subject to audit. Across all of them, vendors and customers need to know their hardware, software and infrastructure stacks are compatible. C3 is where they confirm it.

The verification process is available now at c3.ciq.com.

About CIQ

CIQ is the founding support and services partner of Rocky Linux and the company behind the Rocky Linux from CIQ Pro (RLC Pro) family of enterprise operating systems. RLC Pro, RLC Pro AI and RLC Pro Hardened deliver long-term support, FIPS 140-3 validated packages, AI-optimized kernels and security-hardened configurations for organizations that require more than a standard Enterprise Linux distribution. CIQ delivers a complete software infrastructure stack, from the operating system to orchestration, enabling enterprises, government agencies, research institutions and supercomputing centers worldwide to deploy AI and high-performance computing workloads with strategic independence and control. CIQ's product portfolio also includes Ascender Pro for IT automation, Fuzzball for cloud HPC orchestration, Warewulf Pro for cluster provisioning and Apptainer, the leading container system for high-performance computing. For more information, visit ciq.com.

SOURCE CIQ