What NVIDIA DGX OS is

NVIDIA describes DGX OS as a customized installation of Ubuntu Linux with system-specific optimizations and configurations. DGX OS 7 is based on Ubuntu 24.04. On ARM64 machines such as DGX Spark it uses an NVIDIA-optimized kernel 7.0 (x86_64 DGX servers use Ubuntu's generic 6.8 kernel). On top of Ubuntu it gives you access to NVIDIA GPU driver branches and CUDA toolkit versions, diagnostic and monitoring tools, and Ubuntu Pro's Extended Security Maintenance.

In practice, for a DGX Spark owner this means: the machine boots into a system where the GPU driver and CUDA already work together, and everything else behaves like Ubuntu — apt, Docker and the whole package archive. The same DGX OS runs on DGX Spark and on partner GB10 machines such as the ASUS Ascent GX10, which ship with it preinstalled. So when people talk about the “DGX Spark OS”, they mean DGX OS.

To check which version you have:

cat /etc/dgx-release

The output includes DGX_OS_VERSION and the platform the system was built for. nvidia-smi shows the driver version and the GPU's state.

DGX OS 7 versions that matter for DGX Spark

According to NVIDIA's release notes, DGX Spark support arrived in DGX OS 7.2.3, which is also the minimum version for the platform. Later releases added features for it:

DGX OS releases for DGX Spark

Oct 10, 2025

7.2.3

first release with DGX Spark support (Ubuntu 24.04.3)

Nov 2025 – Apr 2026

7.3.1 · 7.4.0 · 7.5.0

over-the-air updates for DGX Spark, then their second version; Ubuntu 24.04.4

Sep 14, 2026

7.6.0 — latest

Ubuntu 24.04.5, kernel 7.0.0-1018-nvidia, driver 580.173.02 on DGX Spark

Aug 31 / Sep 22, 2026

8.0.0 · 8.1.0

Ubuntu 26.04 — DGX Spark listed as “future release”

ReleaseDateUbuntuWhat it means for DGX Spark
7.2.3October 10, 202524.04.3first release with DGX Spark support; the minimum version for the platform
7.3.1November 18, 202524.04.3over-the-air (OTA) updates for DGX Spark
7.4.0February 2, 202624.04.3second version of OTA updates for DGX Spark
7.5.0April 3, 202624.04.4—
7.6.0September 14, 202624.04.5latest DGX OS 7 release; on DGX Spark kernel 7.0.0-1018-nvidia and driver 580.173.02 (Canonical-signed); CUDA 13.0 Update 3 in the repository; required step before any future move to DGX OS 8

NVIDIA doesn't publish a fixed release cadence: DGX OS 7 releases came at irregular intervals, from about one to several months apart.

DGX OS 8: Ubuntu 26.04, but not for DGX Spark yet

DGX OS 8.0.0 came out on August 31, 2026. It's based on Ubuntu 26.04, with kernel 7.0.0-1010-nvidia and GPU driver 595.91.07. It supports x86_64 DGX servers (B300, B200, H200, H100 and others), while on ARM64 — DGX GB300, DGX GB200 and DGX Spark — the status is “future release”: support is announced, but not there yet.

DGX OS 8.1.0 followed on September 22, 2026. NVIDIA calls it a technical preview intended only for evaluation and testing, not for production, and it supports only the preproduction DGX Vera Rubin NVL72. Its documentation says upgrades from Ubuntu 24.04 to Ubuntu 26.04 aren't supported — moving to a newer release means reimaging the system.

The DGX OS 7.6.0 notes describe the path the other way round: if you're on 7.5.0 or earlier, you must first upgrade to 7.6.0 before going to DGX OS 8 — and in the same place they state that upgrades to 8.x are currently unsupported.

Should you upgrade DGX Spark or ASUS GX10 to DGX OS 8?

Not yet.

  • Stay on the latest DGX OS 7 release (7.6.0) and update within it.
  • Wait until NVIDIA lists DGX Spark as supported by DGX OS 8 and documents an upgrade path for it.
  • The same applies to the ASUS GX10 and other GB10 machines — they run the same system.

What rushing can cost: in August 2026 a user on NVIDIA's developer forum reported that after moving a DGX Spark to Ubuntu 26.04 the display dropped to 800×600, a second monitor stopped being detected and DGX Dashboard reported a telemetry error; they restored the machine to factory state from the recovery image. That's one person's report, not a confirmed bug — but it shows why a major version change is worth waiting for until it's officially supported.

DGX OS download: where the system image comes from

There's no public DGX OS ISO for DGX Spark. NVIDIA states that the Founders Edition OS isn't distributed as an ISO. What you can download is the DGX Spark System Recovery Image — a tar.gz archive that resets the machine to its factory state. On October 10, 2026, NVIDIA's download page listed version 1.145.33 from July 14, 2026, about 5.9 GB.

Two important limits: this recovery procedure is for the DGX Spark Founders Edition, and recovery images for partner (OEM) machines such as the ASUS GX10 are available only from their manufacturers. Recovery erases the internal SSD — back up your data first.

Step 1 — prepare

A USB flash drive of at least 16 GB, plus a keyboard (plugged into USB — some Bluetooth keyboards don't work) and a display connected to the DGX Spark.

Step 2 — create the recovery USB

Download and unpack the recovery image, then run the script for your computer's OS with administrator rights: CreateUSBKey.cmd (Windows), CreateUSBKey.sh (Linux) or CreateUSBKeyMacOS.sh (macOS). This erases the USB drive.

Step 3 — boot from USB

With the USB drive connected, power on and press Esc or Del to enter UEFI. Restore optimized defaults, save and reset, then enter UEFI again and choose the USB drive under Boot Override. If the system boots its normal OS instead, disable Secure Boot, save, reset and use Boot Override again — Secure Boot is re-enabled automatically after recovery.

Step 4 — recover

Follow the on-screen steps and choose Start Recovery. The SSD is reflashed and the machine returns to its factory state.

Forum users have reported that a USB drive sometimes doesn't show up in the UEFI boot menu; plugging it directly into the DGX Spark rather than through a hub, or trying another drive, helped in their cases.

Updating DGX OS safely

Within DGX OS 7, an update is a regular apt update && apt upgrade, and since 7.3.1 DGX Spark also gets over-the-air updates. On a machine a whole team depends on, we follow three simple rules:

  • A maintenance window, not “whenever”. Update in the evening or at the weekend, like any other company server.
  • Back up the configuration before a big release. The inference engine, the chat interface and the knowledge base are a few directories; a copy makes rolling back a matter of minutes.
  • Test after the update. One request to each installed model and a look at nvidia-smi. If the GPU sees its memory and the models answer, the system is ready.

DGX OS doesn't need an internet connection to run models: once the models are downloaded, everything works offline, and in isolated setups updates can be delivered in a controlled window. If you run two units as a cluster, keep both on the same DGX OS version — our DGX Spark cluster guide describes that setup. Setting up a new unit from scratch? Our DGX Spark setup guide covers the first boot and the first playbooks to run.

DGX OS FAQ

Where can I download DGX OS?

There's no public DGX OS ISO for DGX Spark. NVIDIA offers the DGX Spark System Recovery Image (version 1.145.33, about 5.9 GB, as of October 10, 2026), which resets a Founders Edition unit to its factory state. Partner machines such as the ASUS GX10 get recovery images from their manufacturer.

Can I upgrade DGX Spark to DGX OS 8?

Not yet. DGX OS 8 runs on Ubuntu 26.04, and NVIDIA lists DGX Spark as a future release. Stay on DGX OS 7.6.0 and update within DGX OS 7 until NVIDIA documents an upgrade path for DGX Spark.

Which Ubuntu version is DGX OS based on?

DGX OS 7 is based on Ubuntu 24.04 — release 7.6.0 on Ubuntu 24.04.5. DGX OS 8 is based on Ubuntu 26.04.

What's the latest DGX OS version for DGX Spark?

DGX OS 7.6.0, released September 14, 2026. On DGX Spark it uses kernel 7.0.0-1018-nvidia and GPU driver 580.173.02.

Does the ASUS GX10 run the same OS as DGX Spark?

Yes. Both are built on the same NVIDIA GB10 chip and run DGX OS; ASUS ships the GX10 with DGX OS preinstalled. The difference is recovery: images for partner machines come from their manufacturer.

Can I install my own software on DGX OS?

Yes. Underneath it's Ubuntu: apt, Docker and the whole package archive work as usual. DGX OS adds NVIDIA's drivers, CUDA and tools on top; it doesn't lock anything down.

Sources