What would the proposed end of macOS x64 support mean for Java users?

Deprecation for removal is a warning that the port is intended to go away, not the same thing as removing it immediately. The proposal says Oracle engineers would stop maintaining it as of JDK 27, but that doesn't establish a removal release.

Existing JDK versions don't suddenly stop working. You could stay on a version that supports Intel Macs, though you would need to check how long your chosen distribution provides updates for it.

The hardware age question is a fair concern. Intel Macs were still being sold into 2023, so some owners may not think of theirs as particularly old. Losing access to future JDK releases could be frustrating even if older releases remain usable.

There's a maintenance cost behind this. Testing a JDK port takes more than getting it to compile, and finding enough Intel Mac hardware for rigorous testing gets harder as the platform ages. That affects work on both older updates and new releases.

The proposal also says there isn't a clear long-term maintenance commitment for the port. That makes keeping it around harder to justify as Apple moves away from x64.

The source is available, so building a JDK for macOS x64 is a possible avenue. But access to source alone doesn't guarantee that a future release will build cleanly or that someone will maintain and test the port.