Python 3.11 - It's been two years now. Please.

[ZetiMente]

Is your feature request related to a problem? Please describe.
Yes, the problem is that Google Colab currently does not natively support Python 3.11. Users who want to leverage the latest features and improvements introduced in Python 3.11 are frustrated as they are limited to the versions of Python pre-installed in Colab aka Python 3.10. Python 3.11 brings performance improvements that make it appealing, but users are unable to use it easily within Colab.

Describe the solution you'd like
I would like Google Colab to natively support Python 3.11 as the default in their runtime environments.

Describe alternatives you've considered
Manually installing Python 3.11. While this alternative works, it requires multiple setup steps and a full reinstallation of necessary packages, which can be cumbersome compared to a native Python 3.11 runtime option.

Additional context
Performance and feature improvements in Python 3.11: Python 3.11 comes with significant performance improvements (up to 10-60% faster than Python 3.10), improved error messages, and new features like better type hints with Self, variadic generics, and pattern matching updates. Users who need these improvements may find Colab’s lack of support for Python 3.11 a bottleneck.

Example of feature-dependent use cases:

Users who require improved asynchronous performance.
Developers wanting to use the latest syntax and typing features like variadic generics.
Libraries that have started supporting Python 3.11 features for better performance.
Having Python 3.11 support natively in Colab would empower users who want to stay on the cutting edge of Python development, reducing setup time and improving the overall experience.

[mayankmalik-colab]

Hi, we are working on upgrading Python to 3.11. We anticipate the upgrade will be done in the next few months. Stay tuned :)

[rabernat]

It's worth noting that the scientific python stack has already dropped support for Python 3.10! https://scientific-python.org/specs/spec-0000/#support-window

[EvanWiederspan]

We will be updating to 3.11 in early January, see #4935