Upgrade to Python 3.11

[EvanWiederspan]

Upgrade to Python 3.11

To provide additional features from Python 3.11 to our users, **Colab has upgraded to Python 3.11. This upgrade provides benefits for the packages we pre-install in our runtime, and brings Colab into alignment with the cadence of final regular bug fix releases for Python versions.

Colab’s fallback runtime version

Using the fallback runtime version temporarily allows access to the last version of the runtime before the upgrade described above, and is available until early February. Its purpose is to provide a temporary mechanism for users to more smoothly upgrade their notebooks to be compatible with Colab’s current runtime version. This is available from the Command Palette via the "Use fallback runtime version" command when connected to a runtime. Of note, this setting does not persist across sessions – the command will need to be invoked on each new session.

[francesco-ballarin]

Hi @EvanWiederspan ,
this is great news!

Once the upgrade rolls out on Colab instances, can you reply to this issue saying that the upgrade is live, so that anyone who subscribed to the issue gets notified about that?
We can track the backend-info repository, but (as you note there) there typically is a delay of a few days between the commit there and the actual deployment on Colab instances.

Thanks,
Francesco

[metrizable]

Python 3.11 is now live in runtimes! Python 3.11 offers several improvements, including:

• 10-60% faster than Python 3.10 -- a 1.25x speedup on standard benchmarks
• exceptions -- exception groups, except*, notes
• multiple typing features
• security and bug fixes
• multiple improvements to many modules

Enjoy!

If you still need a runtime with Python 3.10, invoke the command "Use fallback runtime version" from the Command Palette.

[eyaler]

@metrizable this update is a major breakage, and there is no clear indication of the change made, which would have saved lengthy debugging. to the very least it should appear in the release notes which is not updated since 2024-11-11. but i think a banner notification is appropriate. moreover, a banner notification with a warning of the upcoming upgrade would have also been useful. these recurring, silent, surprising and not easily reversible in the longer term breaking changes make google colab be a less and less viable tool to use in education. no joy!