The developers of the AlmaLinux project have recently announced the implementation of packages built for the i686 architecture in the AlmaLinux Kitten distribution repository. They have also released container images in docker format for 32-bit x86 systems. The AlmaLinux Kitten 10 edition is based on the CentOS Stream 10 package base, follows a continuous package update model, and serves as an upstream for the AlmaLinux 10 branch. Moving forward, the developers plan to create similar assemblies for the main AlmaLinux OS 10 distribution and provide support until 2035 throughout the life cycle of the 10.x branch.
The decision to revive assemblies for the i686 architecture stems from the need to support older applications that are only available in executable form for 32-bit systems. These builds can also be valuable for creating 32-bit environments for code testing in continuous integration systems and running containers for 32-bit programs.
It is worth noting that Red Hat discontinued 32-bit builds for the x86 architecture with the release of RHEL 7 in 2014. While the CentOS 7 branch continued to build 32-bit packages through the CentOS Linux AltArch SIG command, the formation of such assemblies ceased with the release of CentOS 8.